Qld Premier Anna Bligh. Credit: David Jackmanson/flickr
By Rich Bowden
Qld Premier Anna Bligh has backed contentious fish transporting technology for the Traveston dam saying it was a pre condition that such technology be working before approval can be given.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Ms Bligh said the Qld Co-ordinator General’s report on the controversial dam, now submitted to Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for final approval, has set as a condition that technology to transport the rare lungfish across the dam walls be operational.
“There is a requirement in the Co-ordinator General’s conditions that lungfish movements across the barriers, including the walls, are mandatory,” Ms Bligh said.
“So they will have to provide and demonstrate to the Co-ordinator General that the design of all these things are workable before the dam can be constructed,” the Brisbane Times quoted her as saying Thursday.
Controversy has surrounded the use of fishway technology with opponents of the dam pointing to the apparent failure of a similar device at Paradise dam, near Bundaberg.
Though the subject of an ongoing court case, evidence already presented has shown the fishway to have a poor record in transporting the rare lungfish.
“The Paradise Court case has clearly shown that fishways that allow lungfish passage are the stuff of dreams. How many more years of research will be done before they admit they are flogging a dead horse?” said secretary of the Save the Mary River Coordinating Group, David Kreutz in a statement released by the organisation.
“The $24 million fishway built for Paradise Dam has been a complete failure, with only 3 juvenile lungfish using the fishway in 3 years of operation,” said Roger Currie from Wide Bay Burnett Conservation Council, the organisation taking legal action regarding lungfish passage at Paradise Dam.
Proposed Traveston dam Site. Credit: patrickmccully/ flickr
“Paradise fishway had been touted as the blueprint for Traveston but now all mention of this failed technology has been conveniently removed from documents as if Paradise is a bad dream,” continued Mr Currie in the statement.
Meanwhile the environment group WWF has dealt another blow to the Queensland Government’s claim that the Traveston Crossing dam would be “Australia’s greenest dam.”
“The substance of it is, can you make a dam green?” asked Nick Heath from the WWF.
“Whilst there may need to be a dam here and there, in this case, this dam – you can’t make it green,” he told the ABC.
Premier Anna Bligh has told the State Parliament that the dam, should it receive Federal Government approval, would be Australia’s most environmentally friendly and would bring economic benefits to the region.
“It will bring a wealth of community benefits for the Mary Valley with $75 million allocated in this year’s budget and a long list of environmental, job creation and community support projects awaiting the Federal Government’s approval,” she said.
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