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Tarkine road plan under scrutiny

ABC News - Enlarge photo

A parliamentary committee investigating the Tasmanian Government's proposed Tarkine tourism road begins public hearings today.

The Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, has delayed approving the $23 million project and wants more details about the risk to threatened species, including the Tasmanian devil.

The five-person Public Works Committee, which includes two Government MPs, inspected the proposed site of the road yesterday.

The Chairman, Paul Harriss, says the committee is hearing evidence from the Infrastructure Department and one of the project's major opponents, the Tarkine National Coalition, in Wynyard this afternoon.

"With any project such as this it could be suggested there could be risks and there could be benefits," he said.

"So, the committee really has the responsibility to assess both of those areas and make a decision one way or the other.

"We don't have the capacity under the law to amend a project, so it's either approval or rejection."

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