Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The arrogance of the Queensland government in relation to the Traveston Crossing dam is only exceeded by their arrogance in relation to the forced amalgamations of councils in Queensland. I am delighted that the Prime Minister is taking action to give Queenslanders a say about council amalgamations. I wish there were some way that we could require the Queensland government to abide by the wishes of the people in the Mary Valley in relation to the Traveston Crossing dam. From the evidence, the dam is quite clearly a waste of money. It is a political response to a serious problem—a problem that has been building for the last 10 years. It is a problem that Mr Beattie should have done something about in that period of time, but he has done absolutely nothing.

The evidence clearly shows how the Queensland government has made a political decision and then ex post facto has asked its public servants to try and justify it. I have the greatest admiration and a lot of sympathy for the public servants who appeared before the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, because they were clearly quite uncomfortable in having to attempt to justify the unjustifiable. They did a very professional job, but at times I did feel great sympathy for them.

Clearly, on the evidence, the dam will be a waste of money. It will not achieve its goals. It will have dangerous if not fatal impacts on the unique fauna in the Mary River Valley. I have known about the lungfish all my life but I had not realised just how fragile its future was and how important it is to humankind that it survives. Clearly, if this dam goes ahead its future is in real doubt. I urge Mr Turnbull, when considering this, to take into account—as evidence given to us says he must—the social and economic implications of this dam.

He should also take into account the actions of the Queensland government in the past in its response to conditions imposed upon the Queensland government under the EPBC Act. We received quite a deal of very persuasive evidence that suggested to us that in relation to the Paradise Dam the Commonwealth government did impose conditions under the EPBC Act, but the Queensland government has not bothered to comply with those conditions. That would make us think that any conditions that might be imposed on the Traveston dam would be treated with the same contempt as they were apparently with the Paradise Dam.