Dam protest falls on closed doors
September 27, 2008

THE Gympie Baulderstone Hornibrook office remained closed Friday morning as around 40 angry protesters gathered outside the Barter Street premises opposing the companies involvement in building the Traveston Crossing Dam.

Protesters placed ‘No Dam’ signs and stickers at the buildings entrance and slipped a document outlining their concerns into the office.

Organiser Kent Hutton, a member of the Mary River Group Committee said the protest was not only about Baulderstone Hornibrook’s involvement in the dam but 12 other multi national companies that are all tendering for the government contract.

He said the protests aim was to make the civil engineering and building company aware of environmental issues associated with the dam.

“We are calling on the share holders to consider their investment and have a rethink about whether this is the best way their money can be used,” he said.

Baulderstone Hornibrook Queensland Manager - Civil Business -Trevor Hall said he would not comment as to wether he knew the protest would be conducted, saying the office would have been closed either way as there has “been no one up there” for a few months.

According to Mr Hall the office opened on a part time basis in Gympie this year and is looking at doing a lot of construction work in the area including major projects with Main Roads.

He admitted if the dam goes ahead the company will be looking into building it, though were waiting on the government to make a decision.

The Mary River Group Committee see protesting as a strategy to keep “putting it to” multi national companies involved with the dam to make them reconsider their involvement.

Hutton said the dam is basically environmental vandalism and the protesters are not going to go away.

“This is the first of an ongoing presence we will just pop up in front of particular office buildings,” he said.

“With all the submissions the committee has made they (the government) can look at water tanks, desalination plants, water harvesting…but for some reason they refuse to look at those options.”

The protest lasted for about one hour involving speeches and skits.