Robin Gray
Robin Trevor Gray was the Liberal Party Premier of the Australian state of Tasmania between May 26, 1982 and June 29, 1989. [1]
Gray unsuccessfully campaigned to dam the Franklin River, in the South Weast Tasmanian wilderness area, log the Lemonthyme forest adjoining the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and other areas now in the Western Tasmania Wilderness World Heritage Area.
His support for the proposed Wesley Vale pulpmill generated a groundswell of opposition that led to the election of five members of the Tasmanian Greens at the May 1989 election. (Tasmania's lower house is based on the Hare-Clark proportional representation electoral system with a quota, at that time, being 12.5% of the vote).
A Royal Commission was appointed to investigate the attempt to bribe a member of the Labor Party, Jim Cox, following the May 1989 election which saw the Tasmanian Greens form a coalition with the then Opposition Labor Party. Royal Commissioner William Carter described Robin Gray while premier as having acted "deceitfully and dishonestly" and had been "misleading and deceptively evasive," (though no charges were laid) see http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/1991/36/36p8.htm
Gray is now a director of the major forestry company Gunns
Former Premier Robin Gray and Hobart businessman Michael Kent are reported to have some link to the secretly funded group Tasmanians for a Better Future, which was formed to infuence peoples voting in the 2006 Tasmanian state election, see "STATE ELECTION 2006 Good news, bad news: Napier", Martin Stevenson The Examiner 20 March 2006 (by subscription).
Other Sourcewatch resources
External links
- "Hon Robin Trevor GRAY MHA", Parlaiment of Tasmania, accessed July 2005.
- Royal Commissioner William Carter, Report of the Royal Commission Into an Attempt to Bribe a Member of the House of Assembly; And Other Matters, Parliament of Tasmania, NEED DATE.
- Richard Flanagan, "Richard Flanagan on the rape of Tasmania", The Bulletin, December 10, 2003.
- Andrew Dodd, "Premiers Past", Verbatim, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 9, 2005.
- McGunns on Robin Gray
