We need dam results
THE first time I went to Singapore was a real eye-opener. It was the late 1990s and it was part of a broader Asian holiday taking in four countries. It was the perfect melding of East and West and I fell in love. The fact I purchased – for a bargain price – a new Callaway driver that went on to cure the golfing demons I had at the time may have prejudiced my assessment of the place. But it was more than the shopping. The history, colour, food and culture was wonderful. How can you have that much to see and do on a land mass that small? I was there again in 2006 during a stopover and the place didn’t disappoint again. The opening in April of Changi Airport’s new $1.3 billion “lifestyle hub” looks so outrageous and intriguing that I’m feeling the need for a third visit. And therein lies how clever
Singaporeans are – they are the masters of evolution. More importantly, though, they are the masters of planning.
I’m not their only fan; State Treasurer Jackie Trad praised their ability to plan up to 50 years out over a coffee during her last visit to Cairns.
We were talking about all sorts of things – our struggling tourism industry, Kuranda range solutions and dams, or rather one dam in particular.
Unfortunately, the State Government is not convinced about the Far North’s long-term view about the necessity for Nullinga Dam. Yesterday, Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham delivered the state’s bad news – the decision based on the findings of a long, longawaited business case.
The numbers don’t stack up. It will cost too much, customers won’t pay the high fees, the returns will be poor.
How could the state possibly approve the project after such a stinging report?
In the Far North though, the report and the decision is being howled down by everyone from advocacy groups to politicians, farmers and every rabid dog in between.
The building of Nullinga Dam has the support of all key stakeholders in the Far North who are concerned about water supply in the coming decades.
Everyone here realises it’s costly to build dams but the figures in the business case are in dispute and the long-term vision of this state is under question.
To accommodate a growing population and economy now and into the future, we need more than political sugar hits.
The LNP’s State Leader Deb Frecklington has supported building Nullinga Dam while Dr Lynham seems happy to hand over the serious decision making around the Far North’s long-term water needs to the Morrison Government, which has flagged it could fully fund the project.
It begs the question then: Does this State Labor Government really have enough vision and the ability to deliver when the going gets tough?
THE BUILDING OF NULLINGA DAM HAS THE SUPPORT OF ALL KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN THE FAR NORTH WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WATER SUPPLY IN THE COMING DECADES.… UNFORTUNATELY, THE STATE GOVERNMENT IS NOT (AS) CONVINCED