New hope for Traveston Dam opposition
Mon 29 June 2009
Rachel Anderson, Journalism
Biosphere approval has sparked renewed hope among anti-dam campaigners that the controversial Traveston Dam proposal will finally be scrapped.
The Great Sandy Biosphere, which included the Gympie, Maryborough and Hervey Bay regions, was approved in 2009 in what Mary River supporters hoped would be the turning point in their campaign.
Save the Mary River co-ordinating group president Glenda Pickersgill was pleased that the area was at last receiving recognition.
“The Biosphere is about emphasising the natural river and its biodiversity,” Ms Pickersgill said.
“It further demonstrates the importance of this [Mary River] region.”
Ms Pickersgill said she was confident that, with the Biosphere approval, the government could no longer ignore the environmental impact the Traveston Dam would have.
“Right from the start the project was flawed,” Ms Pickersgill said.
“It doesn’t ring true from an economic standpoint, it doesn’t ring true for the amount of likely environmental damage as well as the availability of other alternate water sources.
“It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Ms Pickersgill said that the government had already spent about $500 million and purchased 14,000ha of land for a dam that potentially would not go ahead.
“It still doesn’t have any state or federal approval…and people are still getting harassed by Queensland Water Infrastructure to sell their land to them,” Ms Pickersgill said.
Anti-dam campaigners were also looking forward to the landmark Paradise Dam court case in September, 2009.
Paradise Dam, formally known as the Burnett River Dam, was built by the same chief executive officer (CEO), engineers and environmental consultants as those for the proposed Traveston Dam.
Fellow Save the Mary River campaigner Kaili Parker-Price said she was following the court case and was optimistic of its outcome.
“The mitigation of the environmental impact doesn’t appear to be working,” Ms Price said.
“How can you go let the same people follow the same procedures with the Traveston Dam?”
Australian Freshwater Turtle Conservation and Research Association (AFTCRA) president Gabrielle Latta was less hopeful of the Mary River’s future.
“The state government is so determined, so pig-headed, that I think it’s still about 50-50 whether it [the Traveston Dam] will go ahead,” Ms Latta said.
“Delaying the claim will only give them [the Queensland Government] more opportunity to create sub-standard conservation efforts to try and push it [the Traveston Dam] through.”
The Traveston Dam proposal was still undergoing state assessment.
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