Garrett must condemn Bligh’s Mary River pipe dream
13th January, 2010
Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss has called on Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, to release his department’s proposed decision on the Bligh Labor Government’s plan to proceed with building a large pipeline from the Mary River to Brisbane via the Sunshine Coast.“I am informed that the Federal Government has told Queensland what is in the proposed decision but Peter Garrett must make his proposed decision on the pipeline public, just as he did with the Traveston Crossing dam,” Mr Truss said.
“After everything the Mary Valley has gone through over the last three and a half years, there must be no more secrecy and lies. The proposed decision must be made public so that everyone has the opportunity to comment before a final decision is announced in 10 days time,” Mr Truss said.
“The people of the Mary Valley will have a continuing veil of uncertainty hanging over their futures if the Queensland Labor Government is allowed to go ahead and build the pipeline to service a dam that does not exist.”
The project, stage two of the South East Queensland water grid northern pipeline, would connect the Mary River to Brisbane via Lake Macdonald, through 1.2 metre diameter pipes.
The pipeline project was referred to Mr Garrett’s department for assessment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the Queensland Coordinator General and relevant state ministers have now been advised of the proposed decision.
“It is not satisfactory for Mr Garrett to leave this decision to his department. He is aware of the level of community concern, and his decision about the pipeline must be treated in the same way as his decision about the dam,” Mr Truss said.
“I would have thought that Mr Garrett would want to have publicly announced it, especially since his own research into the Traveston Crossing dam found that the Bligh Labor Government manipulated the economic analysis to justify the dam. Mr Garrett knows what the State Government is capable of, so he should be once bitten, twice shy,” Mr Truss said.
“The Bligh Labor Government has learned nothing from its condemned Traveston Crossing dam debacle,” Mr Truss said.
“Anna Bligh couldn’t get her hands on Mary River water through the dam, so now she is trying to get it by stealth by building the pipeline first.
“Anna Bligh likes nothing more than having her picture taken standing in pipes, wearing her hard hat and fluoro vest, but she must be flushed out again.”
