12 Jan 2008

Dam controversy as Albanese linked with QWl

Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to comment on fears that he has been secretly persuaded to support the Traveston Crossing dam, which comes up for federal environmen­tal assessment soon.

A Mary Valley business opera­tor, who asked not to be named, says he has information which apears to contradict Mr Albanese’s claim to have visited the dam site on a solo tour last year, to assess the proposal for himself.

He says he was among business people who attended a briefing on dam-related opportunities, con­ducted by the State Government’s dam construction company, Queensland Water Infrastructure.

He says QW1 chief Graeme Newton told him of Mr Albanese’s visit saying it was not the solo visit which Mr Albanese described in Gympie Times editor, Nev McHarg.

Mr Albanese told McHarg he had hired a car and driven himself around the dam-affected area.

However, the business operator says Mr Newton told him and some others at the briefing that he (Mr Newton) had driven Mr Albanese around the area and had con­vinced Mr Albanese to support the dam, apparently in the hope that Mr Albanese would become Feder­al Environment Minister after the Federal election.

Although Peter Garrett remains Environment Minister, the claims lend weight to suggestions of a strong lobbying effort to pressure Canberra into approving the dam, regardless of its many environ­mental dangers.

Dam opponents are concerned that Mr Garrett appears to have been stripped of many of his res­ponsibilities and may be under considerable pressure to approve the dam, after intensive lobbying of other Cabinet Ministers.

The business source said he had asked Mr Newton if he was sure Mr Albanese would support the dam and had been told: “Albanese’s right.”

The Gympie Times emailed Mr Albanese on Thursday last week to ask him if the claims were true and if he had been misrepresent­ing the facts when he said he had toured the, dam area “solo” in a car he had hired and driven himself.

Mr Albanese has not responded to the email.