Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to address the issue of the proposed Tillegra Dam in my electorate of Paterson. Whilst I understand that this is a state issue, it is an issue of much contention amongst my constituents and, as their elected representative, I feel it necessary and important to state my informed views for the public record and to arrest false assumptions made about my position on the issue.

The rationale offered by the New South Wales government in November 2006 was that the $477 million Tillegra Dam would deliver a secure and sustainable water supply for residents of the Lower Hunter and Central Coast. It concerns me that this announcement was made the day of the arrest of former New South Wales Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Swansea MP Milton Orkopoulos on child sex and drug charges. Many, including Sally Corbett, spokeswoman for the No Tillegra Dam Group, believe the announcement was used as a ‘public diversion’ from the very serious nature of the charges laid on Mr Orkopoulos.

The Hunter Water Corporation has staunchly argued that the dam is vital for the long-term water security of the Hunter. Though now an ardent supporter of the project, Hunter Water itself categorically rejected the necessity of Tillegra not too long ago. Hunter Water’s 2003 Integrated Water Resource Plan asserted that the region would not need a new water source within the next 30 years. The plan also indicated that:

… building a new dam at Tillegra would be far less cost effective than many demand management and water conservation initiatives.

A report commissioned by the Wilderness Society and produced by the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney states that future Hunter populations are highly unlikely to need the capacity of the proposed 450-megalitre Tillegra Dam. Study author and sustainability expert Stuart White found the region’s present water supply had been shown already to have high levels of drought security. Professor White said:

Hunter Water estimates that there is only a one in a million chance of supplies falling to critical levels in any given year. This means that if the Tillegra Dam is being built for drought security, it is being built for an event that is predicted to occur only once in a million years.

The finding is at odds with Hunter Water’s most recent position, which argues that the dam is needed to drought-proof the region from the effects of climate change over coming decades. I have met with a large number of residents who are genuinely concerned about the devastating impacts that the proposed dam will have on the township of Dungog and on the surrounding farmland. I have also received letters and phone calls from individuals, families, business owners, farmers and retirees who are convinced that, if the proposed dam is built, it could spell the destruction of farmland and the Williams River. The proposed dam will flood 20 square kilometres of productive farmland and ruin healthy free-flowing rivers in the area. The $477 million dam is not only expensive but I believe unnecessary, as well as socially and environmentally damaging.

For generations, people in the Dungog area have relied upon farming as their livelihood. I hold grave reservations for the future prosperity of these working farms given the known and unforseen repercussions that a dam of this magnitude would have on the Dungog ecosystem and local economy. I believe that if the dam is to go ahead it will detract from the natural habitat of the region—in particular, jeopardise the Williams River. A key report, released by Hunter Water on 10 September 2009, outlines the environmental assessment report for the proposed dam. The Williams River is home to the iconic platypus, the long-necked turtle, a variety of fish and mussel species, as well as the endangered spotted-tail quoll, the brush-tailed phascogale and the grey-headed flying fox. Damming the river would be detrimental to the health of these animals.

Finally, I am concerned that the ratepayers in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens will be paying for the dam through increased charges for water. The New South Wales government have stated that they will not be paying for the dam; thus payment will be placed on the ratepayers who will receive little or no benefit from the water in the dam at all.

It seems difficult to justify the construction of the proposed Tillegra Dam, given that numerous reports have stated that there is no shortage of water in the Hunter and that the plans have not yet received environmental approval, therefore putting at risk native flora and fauna in the area as well as proper functioning of the Williams River. The majority of residents in the greater Hunter oppose the dam as it will increase their water rates and put at risk a strong tradition of farming practices in the Dungog shire. On the basis of all of the information provided to me, I cannot support the construction of the Tillegra Dam and the financial imposition on the constituents of my region.