Federal Senate 28-10-09 Senator Bob Brown

[Glenda Pickersgill]

Senator BOB BROWN—I thank the Senate for that. While on the subject of the nation’s natural heritage, I am continuing to watch progress on the evaluation of the Traveston dam and the impact that will have on the Mary River, the rich farmlands upstream and the habitat of rare and endangered species, including, of course, the Queensland lungfish, the Mary River turtle and the Mary River cod.

I add to that the fact that there has been quite a lot of publicity in recent days about the magnificent fig trees, 500 or more years old, threatened by this inundation, upon which other rare species such as Coxen’s fig parrot depend. That parrot is having its habitat rapidly lost, and therefore we must think it is being deliberately pushed towards extinction if we do not save the sustaining habitat, including these fig trees and their attendant forests in the Mary River Valley.

I just hope that the minister for the environment is looking at the extraordinary 1,200 conditions which the Queensland Coordinator-General, Colin Jensen, said would be needed to enable the dam’s construction.

I think there is only one condition required to protect both the food-producing value and the natural value of the Mary River Valley, and that is that the alternatives for using the rainfall over South-East Queensland, which we have the wit, wisdom and ability to employ and which experts say we can employ at less cost, be undertaken and that the dam be consigned to the rubbish bin of history, where it deserves to go.

[Gally]

Go Bob Thats a great final line.
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"MARY RIVER FOREVER"