STMRCG 11 Nov09 - Fed Gov does the "right thing"

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MEDIA RELEASE
11 November 2009

Federal Government does the “right thing” on Traveston Crossing dam

The announcement of Peter Garrett’s “proposed decision” to can the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam has been welcomed by all those who have spent the last three and a half years examining the proposal and campaigning
against it.

Save the Mary River Coordinating Group President, Glenda Pickersgill said she was pleased and relieved that the decision was based on sound science.

“We wish to commend Minister Garrett and the staff of his Department for their professional and scrupulous conduct on this issue and urge him to hold his position. This decision is consistent with the Federal Government’s policies on water, climate change and biodiversity. It is the right decision,” Ms Pickersgill said.

“Although we need to wait for the final decision, we will shift our focus to making sure the community is involved in determining the use of over 14000 ha or so of land which has been purchased since the dam was announced by Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd, the company created to build the dam."

“A recent survey we conducted showed that members of the Mary River community want their voices heard. They want a future for the region based on sustainable agricultural industries which operate in harmony with the internationally significant biodiversity of the Mary River. We expect the Queensland Government to support this process. As a community, we look forward to working with the Federal Government on implementing their existing plans designed to protect the Mary River catchment’s biodiversity. This includes the biosphere managements plans for Noosa and Great Sandy Biosphere.”

“SEQ has escaped the construction of a wasteful, ineffective piece of infrastructure with this decision. We encourage Premier Bligh to accept this proposed decision and pursue cheaper and more reliable alternatives,” said the secretary of Save the Mary River Coordinating Group, David Kreutz.

“Examples include raising Wivenhoe dam wall which needs to be done for safety reasons anyway, implementation of stormwater harvesting and reinstatement of water rebates and incentives for commercial and domestic water efficiency particularly in new developments. Desalination using renewable energy could provide additional water security if needed.”

“Earlier this week we wrote to Minister Wong outlining these options, many of which have already been recommended by Queensland Government departments. We have previously brought them to the attention of the Queensland Government. It is time that they were seriously considered.”

“We thank all the people from throughout Australia and internationally who have supported our campaign. We encourage the broader community to join us in the celebration of this decision in Kandanga tonight and look forward to a “final decision” in the near future,” concluded Ms Pickersgill.

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