Unfortunately I have to reply to yet another media volley from Deputy Premier Anna Bligh as she and Mr Beattie try to avoid public scrutiny of the spending of taxpayers’ money on the proposed Traveston Dam.
“Ms Bligh is attempting to misconstrue my discussions on capacity with yield. I discuss capacity because it is a definite figure and not part of the smoke and mirrors of a hydrology hyperbole, which is yield.
“I have never once heard publicly how full a dam is in regard to its yield; they talk of a percentage of its capacity. I have never heard a hardware store selling water tanks of a certain yield; they sell them on size or capacity. I have discussed capacity with the public because it is a generally understood definition. Ms Bligh is giving her best endeavours to duck, weave and confuse.
“I have concentrated on capacity. Unfortunately, the Labor Government has a lack of it to fix SEQ water problems. The capacity of Labor’s proposed Traveston Dam will be 150 000 ML, 5 metres deep, the perfect depth for weed infestation in a $2b – $4b swamp to be completed around about 2010 to 2012.
“If long term solutions are what you desire Borumba Dam, with a new dam wall 65m higher than the existing wall (a 200m high wall), will have a capacity of 1 000 000ML, will have an average depth of 90m, will be cold and highly efficient for the storage of water as opposed to Traveston’s propagation of weeds in a tepid stinking swamp. You can have dams that are flops and we have one at Mitchell – it started as a water storage dam and ended up as a bird sanctuary. I think once is enough when you are using someone else’s money.
“The crux of this issue is that Traveston Dam will have no capacity to help solve the SEQ water crisis as the Dam won’t be completed until 3 years after SEQ runs out of water, if it does not rain.
“I stand by my comments about Brisbane running out of water next year and, by the look of Ms Bligh’s press release (9 February 2007), she seems to agree with me as she herself refers to it as a “possibility”. Ms Bligh has more caveats to which her plan is subject in securing Brisbane’s Water. It is a wonder she has not subjected her plan to an alignment of the planets.
Ms Bligh refers to the piping projects progressing to timetable so Brisbane will not run out of water. Ms Bligh, it has been in the paper (Courier Mail 01/02/07) that your projects, such as your capacity to lay pipes, aren’t up to speed. 500 metres per fortnight on the 200 km journey of just one of your projects means it will take over 15 years to lay and Brisbane runs out of water in a little over one.
“As far as the cost of the Tugun Desalination Plant is concerned there is a crucial question which must be asked: how can the Beattie/Bligh government spend $800 million more than the WA government for a similar plant? The WA government has built a desalination plant at Kwinana. This plant cost $386m, including all the pipe work to connect it to the water supply network. This is a similar plant to Tugun.
“The people of Queensland must think of the opportunity cost this profligate waste of money has caused to other infrastructure projects such as roads in the western suburbs. It would add absolute insult to injury to waste billions of dollars on the Traveston Dam, the opportunity cost of which would be seen in the lack of crucial spending on health, education and roads in Brisbane and the South East. This proposed Traveston Dam is no more than a display of the multi billion dollar egos of Bligh and Beattie, a mad assault with Queensland’s cheque book on a problem that should have been planned for years ago.
“I have some more questions for Ms Bligh: does the quoted cost of Traveston Dam, $1.7b, include costing for a pipeline to Brisbane? It has been suggested by qualified engineers that the cost will be $900m? Does the $1.7b include the cost to acquire properties affected by the proposed dam? The cost of land acquisitions to date is $177m for about 20% of affected properties. Does your $1.7b projected cost for Traveston Dam cover only the bulldozers and concrete and nothing else? What is the economic cost of the dislocation of Brisbane’s dairy supplies?
“The biggest cost is the complete act of social annihilation that is being played out right now on the people of the Mary Valley as you show how big your political arrogance is.
“Ms Bligh, you must be honest with the people of SEQ. Is the main reason for selecting Traveston as the dam site because it is in a seat the Labor Party hasn’t held since 1957? Do you think it is right to pick on a minority because of your own political expediency? Do you feel this is morally justifiable?
“I have no idea, Ms Bligh, what you are talking about when you claim I discussed a 2 200km pipeline. I talked about your progress, snails pace, on a 200km pipeline the same as was discussed by Tuck Thompson in an article in the Courier Mail 01/02/07. Can you please be more specific with your sources and I will happily retract this, otherwise you should?
“In regards to your briefing, one could understand my scepticism about it when we reflect on your media releases which are no more than a platitude of spurious unsourced allegations. Let’s have a public debate about this. I am certain, with the resources you have at your disposal, that if your facts are right you will put me to shame.
“However, I don’t think you are telling the full story. I don’t think you’re being straight up and down with the people of SEQ. Mr Beattie confirms this when, on ABC news this morning, he announced he would not participate in the enquiry and there is a concern as to whether he will let key staff participate. A debate in front of all the people of South East Queensland, and I am not thinking just of the people of Brisbane, surely would be congruent with your mantra that you are accountable and honest.
“That is the reason for this Senate Inquiry - to give the public a forum for the facts and prevent the smoke a mirrors show they have currently had to tolerate. I would prefer to dispel this discussion in the media and look forward to your willingness to participate in such a public forum, unless however, you have some serious concerns about your facts.