LNP Queensland

Traveston Dam - The Environmental Impact

Last Updated (DATE_FORMAT_LC2) Written by Media Centre DATE_FORMAT_LC2

The campaign to stop the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam primarily focused on the potential environmental impacts and the failing of the Beattie/Bligh Labor Government to properly mitigate those concerns.

In this edition State Member David Gibson MP continues his analysis of the campaign with some insights into the environmental fight.

There is a persistent myth that environmental conservation and protection issues are causes to be championed by the Labor party and the Greens. We on the conservative side of politics often allow this to be perpetuated by the media, and often ourselves. However the truth is that conservation and environmental stewardship are core conservative values.

The misperception often stems from the fact that as conservatives we have been very poor in promoting our own proud history of environmental credentials and we have traditionally allowed the other parties to dominate the environmental debate.

The Traveston Crossing Dam campaign allowed us to regain the initiative on the environmental debate.

What we saw from the Beattie/Bligh Government on the environmental impacts of the proposed dam was misrepresentation, suppression and outright fraud being perpetrated in connection with environmental issues.

Indeed one of the reports provided to the Environment Minister raised concerns that key environmental advice used by the Bligh Labor Government may have been tainted by the scientists having an undeclared conflict of interest because of a proposed $28million research program funded by the Government.

In a desperate attempt to regain environmental credentials the Bligh Labor Government attempted to blame the farmers of the Mary Valley for environmental degradation over the past 100 years and that this dam would benefit the environment.

Although there are environmental problems in the Mary Valley what we witnessed from Labor was a supposed sudden concern that was a convenient cloak for the proposed environmental destruction Labor was planning for the Mary Valley.

We must never forget that Labor’s concern for the environment is at best dubious and more often is simply a rouse for other agendas such as left-wing political activism.

The LNP can be proud of it’s strong environmental response in the fight to stop Traveston and from those on the receiving end of this Labor’s proposed environmental mismanagement it has been shown that the LNP to be a party that can hold firm on environmental principals.

Next report the economic aspects of the decision. You can read Part One Traveston Dam - The Social Impact here

David Gibson MP, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Planning