Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to table a petition from over 800 people within my electorate. That petition relates to their concerns about water from northern New South Wales going to Queensland. They object to this happening and particularly to our water going over the border to the very overdeveloped Gold Coast. We have seen rapid development over the border on the Gold Coast and now they are looking at plans to take water from northern New South Wales. The more than 800 people who have signed this petition, and the many other people who have signed similar petitions in the past, object to that. They and I particularly object to the Howard government’s plan to build a dam just outside the small village of Talgum, which is just outside of a town called Murwillumbah. They have grave concerns, firstly about the general issue of the water going over the border and, secondly, about the building of this dam, which will destroy the village of Talgum.

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