Swamp News - Media Watch

19 June 2008
Alan Lander and Toby Walker

With federal environment minister Peter Garrett maintaining his silence on the controversial Traveston Dam, protesters will set their sights on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when he arrives on the Gold Coast this weekend.

Mr Rudd is due on the glitter strip for the two-day state Labor conference being held at the convention centre.

Campaigners have sent the call out to thousands to join the June 21 march to take their message to state and federal representatives.

They will be hoping for a sign of solidarity from Mr Rudd as his government prepares to receive the Bligh government’s environmental impact statement on the dam for review in the coming weeks.

Indigenous leader and anti-dam campaigner Dr Eve Fesl said it was now crucial for protesters to highlight the dam’s potential to drive up water prices in the face of the state government’s concerted push to construct it.

She said convincing people, particularly in Brisbane, that they would soon have higher water rates to add to their rising fuel and grocery bills could resurrect the issue for wider public debate where scientific reports criticising the plan had failed.

Dr Fesl believed it made more sense to spend the $1.7 billion earmarked for stage one of the dam on sustainable schemes like rainwater harvesting, desalination and water recycling.

“Let’s face it, we’ve had a lot of rain and the deep dams are not even at 40%,” she said.

“If we’re not going to have rain for a long time again then their bills are going to go up and up and they ought to wake up to the fact that this is one thing they will pay too much for when there are better ways to get their money’s worth.”

Even those physically unable to make the Gold Coast protest have worked to make their presence felt on the day.

A 470-metre scarf, knitted by “the ladies of the (Mary River) Valley who can’t easily make it to rallies” will be carried from the meeting’s 11am start point at Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach, according to campaign spokesman John Porter.

Those wishing to join the rally can contact Mr Porter on 0427 476 488 or Lyndall Ensbey on 0427 167 329.

Update on Monday, June 23, 2008 at 08:48AM by

stevem

Union ‘ambush’ steals dam rally limelight

23 June 2008

By Alan Lander

Nearly 400 anti-Traveston Dam protesters are angry a mere 20 Electrical Trade Union (ETU) members stole their media thunder on the Gold Coast last Saturday.

Despite meticulous planning for the Broadbeach rally at the weekend state Labor conference and a 4am departure time for the protesters from the Mary Valley, the national electronic media focus was primarily taken up with the ETU’s threat to disaffiliate with the Labor Party .

Photo: Steve Holland, Fairfax Media

And in another unhappy coincidence, attendee prime minister Kevin Rudd spent the early part of the conference commiserating the tragic loss of two workers who fell to their deaths on a building site opposite the centre that very morning.

“And we didn’t see the accident – we didn’t even know about it until on our way home.”

“There were 300 to 400 people there,” he said.

The main message at the rally was to alert the federal government to the impacts of its state counterpart’s intention to build the dam.

Don’t Murray the Mary was the theme.

“What has happened to the Murray River – that’s what they are planning to do here,” Mr Porter said.

He said a 470m-long scarf knitted by Mary Valley locals was used as a prop.

“We were strung along the highway for about 700 metres – we had signs along (the scarf) identifying places affected by the dam from Maleny to Fraser Island,” Mr Porter said.

“But the ETU had 20 people there and they got all the media coverage; we did not.

“We were disappointed with the TV coverage.”

But Mr Porter said the protest was a “worthy issue”.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the Greens and the Australian Conservation Foundation – but we have to give this a larger national presence.”

The protesters’ next target is the state government’s proposed country cabinet meeting in Maryborough next week.