Light rail or water?

SOONER or later we will need to build the Bradfield Scheme, named for Queensland born and bred renowned engineer, John Bradfield, which will divert flood laden water from Queensland’s east coast, over the range, to green western Queensland.

The advantages of Bradfield’s Scheme would be: an almost flood free Queensland; no more droughts; excess water diverted to the Murray Darling; renewable hydro electricity; a big drop in unemployment. Revenue will take care of the build and the Great Barrier Reef will be protected from some chemical laden rivers.

Australia’s worst natural disaster occurred in Bradfield’s lifetime, he was 32, when Cyclone Mahina, with 300 plus fatalities and the loss of over 100 boats of the pearling fleet occurred. It had a storm surge of 43ft and a pressure of HP 880.

This was probably the impetus for The Bradfield Scheme. Why do we hesitate? The proposed light rail project will cost $40 million of taxpayer funds aided by business. It will save time for those in the south east corner of Queensland, just time. There is no other benefit to the majority of Queensland save a few jobs. When the Snowy River project was completed, the next big build was to be the Bradfield Scheme once Bradfield’s commitment to the Sydney Harbour Bridge was over, 1933. War intervened.

Queensland had no dams when Bradfield was designing his scheme, now there are over 300 dams in Queensland, and we have so many innovations to aid us to build Bradfield’s Scheme, even a machine that can bore tunnels.

We have the expertise to build the Scheme and now is the time to build it, if there is the will.

Water is life, light rail is convenience. Irene Shanks, Mareeba