Clarence to become the new Franklin?

“Malcolm Turnbull’s proposal to dam the Clarence – the east coast’s largest river – is nothing short of environmental vandalism. This cannot be allowed to go ahead.” Mr Cohen said. The idea is expected to be put forward today in Brisbane, in a report prepared for the National Water Commission. The report was written by the Snowy Mountains Energy Corporation.

“Suggesting more dams and longer pipelines, is a very disappointing response to the nation’s water problems”, Mr Cohen said. “I’m devastated that he’s pushing last century’s water mentality. It’s not surprising that dam builders have proposed another dam, but we expected more creative solutions from the new minister.

“The Clarence River supports a prime local tourism industry and unsurpassed recreational and commercial fishing resources – damming it would be an obscenity, and would simply prolong the profligate use of water in Queensland.”

Citing the massive protests in Tasmania that finally put an end to the Franklin Dam scheme, Mr Cohen promises the federal government that a similar mobilisation of the mainland activist community would follow an announcement to build this dam.  Mr Cohen asks the Iemma government where is stands on the idea? “Will Morris Iemma acquiesce?”

“Malcolm Turnbull has been touting water recycling schemes around the country. This announcement reveals how hollow his recycling commitment is. It now turns out that his real focus has been on developing plans to dam the mighty Clarence River and the equally environmentally destructive alternative to dam the Tweed River.” Mr Cohen said.

“This project is more about allowing unfettered development in Queensland, than about managing the nation’s water resources. It’s a dinosaur engineering plan.”