Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That may be right, Senator Joyce. He is still struggling to identify the possible location of the Traveston Crossing dam. The virtue of the motion we put on the Notice Paper yesterday is that the proposal would look more broadly at the requirements of water in North Queensland and south-east Queensland. It would be to the benefit of Queenslanders more generally, certainly to those who live in the south-east. It would give the people of the Mary River, who have been so disadvantaged by this process and who have been so profoundly affected by the way in which it has been conducted, an opportunity to ventilate and articulate their concerns. We would get some facts about this which have hitherto been precluded from public view.

In closing my remarks, may I acknowledge, as Senator Joyce has generously acknowledged others, his particular contribution to dealing with this matter amongst the community, and indeed Senator Bartlett’s, but also the contributions of my Liberal colleagues in Queensland—Senators Brandis, Mason and Ian Macdonald—who have all been concerned about the direction of this proposal. We all believe it needs close scrutiny. None of us is convinced that it has merit. The Senate inquiry will expose the limitations of this proposal for what it is—basically, a public policy sham and an attempt by the Beattie government to cobble together a solution to a matter prior to an election in relation to which they had given absolutely no policy thought. It was an attempt prior to the last state election in Queensland to put something on the table. It did not receive the detailed assessment and examination that it deserved. We will perhaps be able to provide that in the course of the Senate inquiry.