What role does the Australian Government play in determining the pipeline route?
The pipeline route is a matter for Gunns to determine and it must negotiate with relevant landholders to get the access it requires. State and local government requirements must also be considered. The Australian Government approval process considered the potential impacts of the pipeline’s construction on nationally protected matters. Various conditions have been imposed on the project to ensure that the pipeline does not impact on these matters. With his decision to approve only the modules relating to construction of the mill, the minister approved a Gunns request to a small number of minor deviations to the water and effluent pipeline. These were to accommodate regional planning priorities, major infrastructure developments and minor realignments requested by landowners. The minister approved the variation on the grounds that these deviations would not significantly impact on nationally protected matters.
