Wivenhoe Dam

MS FRECKLINGTON is the resident expert when it comes to re-inventing water infrastructure facts.

She claims the Palaszczuk Government hasn’t consulted on its plans to raise the Wivenhoe dam wall.

But the fact is that there is no current plan to raise Wivenhoe dam wall.

Seqwater is at the early stages of looking at a wide range of options.

Benefits and costs of about 50 different options are being explored – of which one is to increase the height of the dam wall to improve flood mitigation downstream.

We’ve been clear that consultation will occur with stakeholders – importantly those living upstream and downstream of the dam – once this initial planning is complete. That will be later this year.

I can assure the community that a decision on the preferred option to upgrade Wivenhoe dam won’t be made until consultation has occurred.

The whole point of our announcement on April 5 was to let the community know this planning was happening and that they would be consulted.

I wrote to Ms Frecklington on April 12 to confirm all of this.

It’s disappointing – although unfortunately not surprising – that she continues to spread misinformation.

Ms Frecklington seems to have forgotten that it’s her previous Nicholls-Newman government that kept Queenslanders in the dark and locked out from decision making. I’m sure the 14,000 public servants they sacked after saying they wouldn’t, haven’t forgotten.

They secretly spent more than $100 million preparing for asset sales and contestability – including more than $30 million from my Department’s budget which could otherwise have been spent on much needed infrastructure.

— MARK BAILEY, Minister for Water Supply