Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I happen to agree with much of what Senator Siewert says but we will not be supporting her motion because yesterday Senators Trood, Joyce and I gave notice of a motion to refer the issue of the south-east Queensland water supply, including the Traveston Crossing dam, to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee. We gave notice yesterday of our intention to move that motion on the next day of sitting when we came back. What we have done, Senator Siewert, is give notice of a motion that your leader, Senator Brown, in a press release yesterday said that he agreed with and supported. You came in here yesterday and after we had given notice of a motion you gave notice of one. The notice of motion that we made had been through our party room and had the support of the coalition. So, one would think, the motion will get up on the 26th.

That notice of motion was welcomed by everyone in the Mary Valley—from the locals to the Greens. People have rung me and faxed me and said they are very pleased that that motion will be coming up. Today we see the Greens coming in and bringing on a debate to change the terms of reference. I deliberately made the terms of reference so wide that any of those issues that you have brought up can be covered by the terms of reference that the National and Liberal parties have put down. I have looked at the matters that they wish to refer under their notice of motion and there is nothing in them that is not already covered by the terms of reference in the motion of coalition Senators Joyce and Trood and me.

I reiterate the original proposed terms of reference:

The examination of all reasonable options, including increased dam capacity, for additional water supplies for South East Queensland, including:

(a)

the merits of all options, including the Queensland Government’s proposed Traveston Crossing Dam as well as raising the Borumba Dam; and

(b)

the social, environmental, economic and engineering impacts of the various proposals.

These are very broad terms of reference that certainly encompass the matters that the Greens are concerned about. The Greens point (i) is basically about the environmental impact, and that is covered in my referral at point (b). The Greens point (ii) about the implications for communities is also covered in my notice of motion at (b). The Greens point (iii) concerning other options for water supply is ably covered in the very first words of my proposed motion, the ‘examination of all ... options’. The Greens are trying to get in on something that has already been proposed we investigate under a committee.

Senator Brown supported my notice of motion yesterday, and I do not believe there is any need to change any terms that are in our notice of motion. We have made it so deliberately wide that the people of the Mary Valley and adjoining shires will be able to get their day in court, will be able to put their arguments forward and will be able to request information that they have never been able to obtain.

I see that the Deputy Premier in Queensland has said that she has nothing to fear from this inquiry. If she has nothing to fear from the inquiry then I suspect the Greens and the Democrats will be on board and I presume the Labor Party will support this inquiry. She has put an overrider on it: she hopes the commencement of the dam operation will not be held up. I would think that this inquiry would be well and truly over before any start on the dam.

I say to the Greens: come on board with us, the Democrats and the Liberals and Nationals. You do not have to change any terms of reference because our terms of reference are a catch-all, or at least as much of a catch-all as we can make them. Let us go unanimously with one notice of motion, one resolution, and get behind it. I cannot speak on behalf of Senator Ian Campbell, but no doubt he will say that the government will not be supporting the Greens resolution because we have one of our own over here that has the support of the coalition.