Dear Mr Rudd,

May I commend you for your enlightened “National Plan to tackle the Water Crisis”.

“Investing in water infrastructure, sustaining our farming communities, revitalising our rivers and waterways, securing water supplies in our cities and towns and ensuring that we become smarter and more efficient in our water usage” are wise aspirations.

The old technology of constructing major dams across rivers is a risky supply source in times of climate change. The “water crisis” has come about through our almost total reliance on water sourced from rainfall-dependent dams.

In southeast Queensland, there was scant attention given to the examination of alternatives in the Traveston Dam EIS.
If your government kept to the policy it took into the election, it would recognize that the Traveston proposal falls far short of its worthy and commendable aspirations. I ask that your government look to its National water vision to override Queensland’s poorly made decision to pursue this dam.

Should you fail to do so, future generations of Queenslanders will look back in bewilderment at the actions of their State Government but they would judge far more harshly a Federal Government that espoused such a noble and enlightened vision for water and waterways, yet failed to deliver at its very first test.