Good news on water grid is bad news for Opposition

Opposition scaremongering over water was becoming increasingly drastic as more and more of the water grid fell into place, Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Paul Lucas said today.

Mr Lucas told State Parliament today that 2007 would be remembered as the year the South East Queensland water grid went from planning to delivery.

“This has been an historic year in Queensland for building and planning water infrastructure – particularly on the progressive delivery of the $9 billion Water Grid,” Mr Lucas said.

“More than 3500 workers are on the job across the South East putting down the foundations for the future.

“Bundamba’s Advanced Waste Water Treatment Plant and the pipeline to Swanbank Powerstation – delivered. And construction of the Tugun desalination plant is approaching the halfway mark.

“Work is underway on the Cedar Grove Weir and the Bromelton Offsteam Storage.

“The environmental impact statement for the raising of Hinze Dam is out for public consultation. So too the Traveston Crossing Dam EIS and as of last week the Wyaralong Dam EIS as well.”

Mr Lucas said the continuing good news on water grid progress was forcing the Opposition into making increasingly more drastic and outrageous claims.

“The Opposition has no credibility when it comes to water security,” Mr Lucas said.

“They‘ve been caught out time and time again.

“Last week, when we released the Wyaralong Dam EIS and said it may be possible to build the dam by the end of 2010, the Opposition whipped out a media release saying it should have been built 17 years ago.

“But unfortunately Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney didn’t check the history books and his own party’s policy first.

“The Opposition didn’t start work on it when they were last in power.

“And in the April 2007 submission to the Senate inquiry into the Traveston Crossing Dam – signed off by Mr Seeney himself – the Opposition says it believed the State Government should complete the Wyaralong Dam ‘within five years’.

“So, if it’s approved, under Labor it will be built by 2011 or possibly as early as 2010. And on one hand the Opposition says it should have been built years ago but gets caught out by its own policy which says they don’t think it should be built until 2012.”

Mr Lucas said the Opposition had also been caught out in Parliament today about claims that given the rate of pipe-laying, the water grid would not be complete until 2013.

“The Leader of the Opposition needs to do his sums,” Mr Lucas said.

“Twice this year he’s issued media releases saying pipe-laying for the projects were way behind schedule.

“Indeed, in one release he said pipes would take six years to lay and not be complete until 2013.

“Well, I’ve got more bad news for the Leader of the Opposition. Last month alone, we laid more than 25km of pipe for the grid. Given that monthly rate, by Mr Seeney’s timeframe of 2013, we would have laid four times as much pipe as we need for the water grid.

“The Opposition gets an A+ for scaremongering but an F for maths.

“They have spent all year scaremongering about the water grid because they don’t have a positive plan of their own.

"But the State Government will continue to get on with the job of delivering water security during the rest of 2007 and throughout 2008.

"We have a plan to secsure South East Queensland's water supply and we will deliver."

Media inquiries: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868