Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage and relates to the megadams the Queensland government is proposing to build at Traveston Crossing on the Mary River and also at Wyaralong, both of which, as he has acknowledged already, will trigger the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Can the minister confirm that he has the responsibility, under section 87 of that act, to decide which approach is taken to assess the environmental impact of these dams? Given that the Queensland government has made it totally clear that it is determined to build these dams no matter what, on the completely false grounds that there is no alternative that would guarantee a water supply for south-east Queensland, will the minister ensure that the environmental assessments of these dams under the federal law are undertaken via a public inquiry, which would be independent and transparent, rather than rely on assessments done through the Queensland government?