Dear Ms Bligh,
Just after the recent election
you claimed you had a mandate to build the controversial
Traveston Crossing Dam. This can scarcely be the
case as your election launch avoided all mention
of the subject and a substantial proportion of
Brisbane voters went to the polls believing the
Traveston proposal was either ‘on hold’
or even ‘scrapped’.
If you were so keen to get the
public stamp of approval, why did you avoid placing
it on the table, in front of voters, before the
election?
In your speech on election night,
you claimed you had listened to the regions and
that you would bring a renewal in government,
not just in the ministerial line-up but also in
the way the government does its business.
If you listen to the region from
Caboolture north to Bundaberg, you’ll hear
how unpopular this dam proposal has made your
government. Even your Sustainability Minister
suffered a resounding defeat which he largely
attributes to your government’s plans for
the Mary River.
If your government is really serious
about renewing the way it goes about its business,
then Traveston would be an excellent place to
start. If your government is really serious about
listening to the regions, then here is a whole
voting region whose combined voice is too loud
to ignore.
There were over 16 000 submissions
to the dam’s EIS as well as many thousands
of letters to both state and federal politicians.
The original price tag of $1bn
for this dam has been revised to more than double
that, while the yield estimates have been cut
by two thirds. Not only is the proposal unpopular,
not only will it have serious environmental impacts,
it also fails to stack up economically.
As someone who campaigned on sound
economic management, this should concern you.
The decision to build Traveston Crossing dam will
not be the feather in the cap of your government
but more the albatross around its neck.
I call on you to drop
the plan for the dam, to work harder at protecting
good quality farming land and utilize water supply
options that don’t cost the earth, or the
river.