Today’s announcement by GBIP that under the Go/Stop/Pause decision point it “has entered a ‘pause’ phase, as discussions are held with the Australian and Queensland governments on the project’s design, costings and approvals” can be read on GBIP’s website here.  SDRC has also confirmed that the date for signing its Framework Documents with GBIP has been extended to 31 January 2022.

It is vitally important that SDRC take this window of opportunity to be transparent with the community.  Council’s recent “Factsheet” on Emu Swamp Dam that was sent to ratepayers included a very interesting box on Council’s decision-making process.  Importantly it includes:

ASSESS: what are the potential solutions and has Council considered many alternatives?

This is then followed by (three times) “Are we doing the RIGHT project?”

Council needs to be open and transparent, and provide to the community details of all of the many alternatives considered, and why Emu Swamp Dam has been assessed to be the right project.

POW! has received a lot of questions relating to Council’s factsheet, and we’ll be working through them in future blogs.  However one question relates to the general point about transparency so let’s deal with it here.  Council (and others) are continually stating that at $3.5m this is the only affordable solution for the community.  But if the “solution” doesn’t deliver improved long-term water security, then isn’t spending $3.5m just a waste of ratepayer’s money?  To know the answer we need to see Council’s reasons as to why this investment would be a good idea. 

Remember that the modelling by the State Department of Water said that Emu Swamp Dam would have been dry, just like Storm King Dam, in the last drought.  So how has Council determined that there would be scenarios where Storm King Dam would be dry, but Emu Swamp Dam would not, i.e. the only time when the investment in Emu Swamp Dam can be justified?  How often would this happen?  Or would the money be better spent towards a long-term solution that has a much greater likelihood of getting us through the next drought?

As we’ve consistently said, Council needs to hold community information sessions, and needs to provide far more information than we have currently been given.  Because, at the moment, the answer to “Are we doing the RIGHT project?” looks like “Doesn’t seem likely” to me.