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Chapter 1 - Introduction
Terms of reference
1.1
On 26 February 2007, the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate
Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport for inquiry and
report:
The examination of all reasonable options, including increased
dam capacity, for additional water supplies for South East Queensland,
including:
- the merits of all options, including the Queensland
Government’s proposed Traveston Crossing Dam as well as raising the Borumba
Dam; and
- the social, environmental, economic and engineering impacts
of the various proposals.[1]
Conduct of the inquiry
1.2
The inquiry was advertised in The Australian, The Courier
Mail, and The Northern Star and through the Internet. The committee
invited submissions from a wide range of interested organisations, government
departments and authorities and individuals. The committee continued to accept
submissions throughout the inquiry.
1.3
The committee received 246 public and 3 confidential submissions. A list
of individuals and organisations that made public submissions to the inquiry
together with other information authorised for publication is at Appendix 1. The
committee held public hearings in Gympie, Brisbane and Canberra. A list of the
witnesses who gave evidence at the public hearings is available at Appendix 2. The
committee was pleased to undertake inspections of the proposed Traveston
Crossing Dam site and the Borumba Dam site.
Scope of the inquiry
1.4
The committee acknowledges that under the Constitution, the management
of water resources in Australia is a state responsibility. In conducting this
inquiry, the committee spoke to, and heard from, many people who are directly
and indirectly affected by various Queensland Government initiatives which aim
to secure future water supplies. Throughout the inquiry, the committee has been
very conscious that members of the affected communities and other interested
stakeholders may have expectations that the Senate, through this committee
inquiry process, may be able to affect change and influence the progress of
certain initiatives. The committee recognises that the Commonwealth Government
is significantly restricted in its ability to influence both the decisions made
by the Queensland Government and the processes undertaken in implementing various
water supply initiatives. However, the Commonwealth Government does have a role
to play in the assessment and approval processes of 'controlled actions' under
the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A
number of initiatives fall under this category, including the Traveston
Crossing Dam and the Wyaralong Dam. The committee is clearly aware of the
limitations it faces in respect of this inquiry and intends to make accurate
and forthright comments on the evidence received and detail appropriate and
practical recommendations.
The committee's report
1.5
Due to the broad range of issues covered within the inquiry's terms of
reference, the committee has grouped related themes and topics together and
allocated chapters accordingly. Chapter 1 provides a general overview of the inquiry
process. Chapter 2 provides relevant information on the region of South East
Queensland and the government structures in place to develop initiatives and
implement strategies to secure and manage water supply.
1.6
Chapters 3, 4 and 5 relate to the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam and
the proposed Wyaralong Dam. The committee received a significant amount of
evidence on these dams and has split the three chapters as:
- Chapter 3 – a description of each of the proposals including
evidence addressing the decision making process, the technical aspects of the
dam, such as site suitability, and the cost of the dam;
- Chapter 4 – the social impact of the dams including community
engagement and consultation and the affect on the communities; and
- Chapter 5 – the environmental impact of the dams including the
Commonwealth Environmental Impact Statement approval process and the identified
species impacted by the dams.
1.7
Chapter 6 considers the majority of evidence received regarding other alternative
water supply options for South East Queensland and chapter 7 details the
committee's conclusions and recommendations.
Acknowledgement
1.8
The committee thanks those organisations and individuals who made
submissions and gave evidence at the public hearings. The committee would like
to express its appreciation and thanks to the Queensland Government for their
contribution and cooperation during this inquiry. In particular, members of the
committee appreciated the opportunity to undertake site visits at the proposed Traveston
Crossing Dam and Borumba Dam sites.
Note on references
1.9
References in this report are to individual submissions as received by
the committee, not to a bound volume. References to the committee Hansard are
to the proof Hansard: page numbers may vary between the proof and the official
Hansard transcript.
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