MORE than 3000 black-clad protesters marched through Launceston yesterday as part of a rally against construction of the Gunns pulp mill.
The Tasmanian Greens told the protesters they would try to block the mill project in State Parliament.
Greens leader Nick McKim, who described the mill as a white elephant, said the Greens would introduce a Bill to revoke the Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2007 and the Pulp Mill permit, which was established by the Act.
"Many thousands in the community want the looming shadow of this controversial and divisive project gone," Mr McKim said.
"Gunns' financial imperatives were used to justify Labor ramming its pulp mill legislation through the State Parliament in a shonky and undemocratic manner, an excuse that has been exposed as a sham now that years later Gunns still do not have the finances to build the mill.
"Critical issues such as air quality, water capacity, effects on native forests and catchments, road safety and infrastructure damage were not assessed, and nor was there an independent risk assessment of any potential economic damage to other vital industries such as tourism."
Greens MP Kim Booth urged the crowd to attend the Parliamentary debate on May 25.
Also speaking at the rally were Dr Frank Nicklason and Peter Cundall.
Over 3000 protesters, dressed in black, marched the streets of , Australia on Saturday to show their opposition to the construction of a pulp mill by . This follows the release of a survey, which showed that 40 percent of Tasmanians oppose the project. 

The mill has previously been opposed by the Launceston Environment Centre LEC and the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association AMA, due to concerns about negative environmental and social impacts of liquid waste and air pollution. The LEC claims that there will be eight deaths per year from increased air pollution, and the AMA has already expressed concerns about Launcestons' current air quality, 

"Launceston has one of the worst air qualities within Australia," according to a written statement the AMA made in 2006. The statement also attacks the quality of modelling conducted by Gunns during the assessment of the mill. It says that  scale particulates are "closely associated with the adverse health effects of particle air pollution", but were not measured in the assessment process. 

The pulp mill was green-lighted by environment minister  in March, although no reassessments of air quality have been undertaken by Gunns. The company has stated that more work needs to be done to convince Tasmanians that air quality will not be reduced by the project.