James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend Senator Scarr for that speech on the Paradise Dam, the dam which is Australia's worst infrastructure fail, and for bringing further attention to that particular dam and the shameful actions of the Palaszczuk government. I'm also going to talk about dams this evening, Mr President, which may surprise you. I would also like to commend Senator Scarr for, along with other LNP senators yesterday, moving a motion calling on the Queensland government to release the safety and engineering reports that led to the release of 105,000 megalitres of water and calling for a parliamentary inquiry at a state level into the design and construction of the dam. That motion passed this chamber yesterday, and the only party, shamefully, that voted against that transparency was the Labor Party.

Not only is the state Labor government sending precious water out to sea but also, in terms of other dams, they've butchered the plans and federal funding commitment for the Rookwood Weir, where their own financial mismanagement has led to state Labor's decision to reduce the proposed capacity from 76,000 down to 54,000 megalitres. If you travel further north, you will find the Nullinga dam in the Atherton Tablelands—or should I say the Nullinga dam site in the Atherton Tablelands? The state Labor government has shelved the plans, along with the concerns and prospects of farmers and local businesses. Advance Cairns, the organisation who push for economic development in the far north, have said that they know how much they are not worth to the state Labor government because of that failure to put money into the progression of that dam.

In Queensland we have a Labor government that is not only not building dams but is releasing water from other dams, reducing the capacity of others and abandoning other projects altogether. The message is pretty simple: Queensland needs dams. We want dams. Let's build them now. Not only should we ensure we have sufficient water security for our regional communities, with the additional stresses of population growth and drought; we need to push an agenda to build infrastructure to support industry across Australia. A perfect example of this type of dam is the Urannah Dam. I want to commend the Deputy Prime Minister in announcing $10 million to make the Urannah Dam shovel-ready through progressing the business case. This joins the dedication of the federal member George Christensen, who has been pushing this dam for some time, along with Michelle Landry. Senator Scarr, I know, has also been pushing it, and so has the state MP for Burdekin, Dale Last.

I also want to particularly commend the efforts of the members of the Bowen Collinsville Enterprise, particularly the current chairman, Paul McLaughlin, and former chairman David Evans, who have been fighting for this project not just for years but for decades. I want to make sure that their fighting spirit continues into the future to make sure that this dam is built.

I'm very lucky that, when I was up in Townsville in November last year, I was given a survey peg by representatives of Bowen Collinsville Enterprise. It's now hanging in my office—for people who are aware of the interior decoration of Senator McGrath's office, it's where the cane knives were formerly hanging. They've been taken down. There is a survey peg there now from when this dam site was first pegged out decades ago. This shows the issue we're facing in Queensland in particular—we've had a state Labor government for 25 out of the last 30 years, and they have not been pushing development.

The Urannah Dam is a big dam plan, and Queensland is ready to build it. For those who don't know where it is, the dam is located in the upper Broken River Valley, north-west of Mackay. It will go a long way to drought-proofing the Mackay-Whitsunday region. As it stands, the Urannah catchment in its current form only traps four per cent of available water flows. Once this project is completed, this figure will rise to 18 per cent.

The dam is part of the broader Urannah Water Scheme. It will deliver water security, cheap electricity and 1,200 jobs, which will boost the regional economies of North Queensland. Not only will Urannah Dam provide guaranteed water security for coastal communities such as Proserpine and Bowen; it will also deliver to Collinsville, downstream of the dam, and to Southern communities like Moranbah. Once constructed, the dam will be a fully integrated ware and infrastructure asset. It will contain 1.5 million megalitres of water, irrigate 22½ thousand hectares of agricultural land and generate over 1,000 megawatts through pumped hydroelectric power, including pipelines to local communities.

The Urannah Dam will provide water for agricultural development in the Burdekin Basin and industrial and agricultural development of the Bowen region via a channel from the Clare Weir and a mining development in the Northern Bowen Basin and the Galilee Basin. Additionally, the Urannah Dam is expected to deliver water for over 15 active mines and 21 new projects, along with $588 million in economic benefits. This project ensures we are ensuring water security for industry and agriculture. The building of dams and securing water security in this country, particularly in Queensland, should be our first priority. Water is our most precious resource, and dams are our greatest asset.

Senate adjourned at 18 : 23