New dam EIS still secret

29th August 2008

THE long-awaited revised version of the Traveston Crossing dam Environmental Impact Statement has been submitted to the Queensland Co-ordinator-General but will apparently not be released in time for further public submissions.

Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Paul Lucas yesterday blasted Gympie MP David Gibson for "playing politics" with the issue, by complaining he has been denied a copy of the report, even though it has been sent to other Queensland organisations on a confidential basis.

But Mr Gibson has found ready support from Gympie anti-dam activists who say public submissions so far have resulted in the document's revision, proving public input is more valuable than advice from the government's own so-called experts.

Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group president Kevin Ingersole said yesterday the group and "thousands of concerned Australians" had provided information that brought "disciplined and informed analysis" to the government's partisan views in the original EIS.

"Thousands of people who provided comment on the original EIS in January will not be given an opportunity to view the supplementary EIS document," Mr Ingersole said.

Dam proponent, Queensland Water Infrastructure, has now sent the revised document to the Queensland Co-ordinator-General's Department for assessment and further submission to Canberra for environmental approval.

Mr Gibson said the government had provided the new document to local authorities and government agencies but not to him or the public.

Mr Lucas's office however, yesterday denied this was secretive. "The Co-ordinator-General is currently seeking feedback from government agencies and councils, which he'll consider before releasing both the Supplementary Report and his Assessment Report on the EIS," Mr Lucas said.