By John Porter

The Qld State Conference of the Qld Labor Party will be held on June 21, 22 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

This is a call to arms. We must be there… they must see us … they must hear our voice.

In 2 years we’ve done hard yards – thousands of hours of painstaking research, hundreds of meetings, thousands of submissions to the EIS, thousands of letters to politicians both Federal and State, marches, rallies, letters to editors, days of phone calls, trips to Canberra, conversations in pubs and on the streets, and the list goes on.

It has dominated every day of our lives since Beattie came to Gympie and told us it was beyond his control - crying tears into his onion soaked hankie.

We have experienced countless hours of confusion, misery, and desperation as our communities have been wrenched apart by our own Government, families torn asunder and businesses destroyed. We’ve been pushed around firstly by Qld’s Department of Natural Resources and then by a specially set up Government Company QWI Pty Ltd who have used bucket-loads of our Government money against us. We’re still standing!

We have the special Community Futures Task Force set up with more bucket loads of money to offer our communities this and that for the future when in fact they preside over the dismantling of our communities and their replacement with new ones. We say no to boiled lollies from strangers! And we are STILL standing!

We are still standing because we have a body of independent local and international experts behind us - in every field from conservation to business, from engineers to farmers, and from social scientists to experienced hydrologists.

And we are still standing because the people have spoken too. In what became a referendum on the dam issue, just 400 people in the new Gympie City Council electorate voted for the pro-dam candidate. By contrast, the Qld Gov’t, who make decisions on a “feasible or not” basis have their own experts, ones whose bank accounts brim with our dollars. They are the mercenaries in this war, the pariahs of their profession, paid with our money to start with a finished dam and to tweak the figures to justify it.

Their hydrologists count the huge one in ten year flood volumes as available water for the droughts. Their dam will not stop this water.

Their environmentalists approve fish ladders, turtle ladders, and lungfish aquariums that ignore basic principles of elementary population viability analysis.

Their economists count hundreds of jobs that will last a couple of years, but ignore the many existing jobs threatened or already lost, and the hundreds of future jobs that the area could promote and maintain forever if the Mary Valley is used responsibly.

Their social workers tell us that they are here to help our communities when their brief from the Gov’t is to help us make way for the dam.

So what do we want to tell Qld Labor at their Convention at the Gold Coast?

We want to tell them that there is evidence amassed that proves conclusively that a diverse set of non-rainfall dependent solutions, such as recycling, storm water harvesting, domestic tanks, retrofitting water saving devices, and desalination will supply Brisbane and SEQ with water, cheaper and at 100% reliability!

We want them to overturn Peter Beattie’s decision to build a dam at Traveston Crossing - because it is clear that it cannot supply the promised volumes of water in a drought – when SEQ needs it most!

It is also clear that just one desalination plant can replace this proposed dam – the same output - cheaper, both in both setup costs, and supply costs, and 100% reliable – even in a drought. And it can be run by sources of renewable energy. WA already has a desalination plant run by a wind farm.

In 2006, Peter Beattie said, “Believe me …if desalination was the answer we would do it.”

We want to say, “Hey Anna, forget yesterdays man and his dinosaur technology, THE WORLD is embracing desalination!”

The local boy Kevin Rudd will be at the Convention. We want to speak to Kevin, Penny Wong, and Peter Garrett, because they have already demonstrated their intention to salvage that great Aussie icon the Murray River.

And we want to ask them, “Why Murray the Mary in the first place?”

We want them to see that Qld’s beautiful Mary River, full of creatures not found anywhere else in the world, is a working river, but that even now it is working beyond its capacity. Why risk it when better options have been demonstrated?

Qld can save and improve its already scarce productive farmlands that provide our city folk with nourishment.

Qld can save the lungfish, the Mary river turtles and the cod, species unique to this river.

Qld can save the communities of people, their jobs and the towns that depend on them.

Qld can save the Great Sandy, the fisheries, the recreational fishing areas of Hervey Bay that are so important to our city holiday makers.

Qld can save all this for the cheaper cost of just one desal plant that will never fail!

And by doing this Qld can even save money!”

So we want Anna to grab for Qld the wonderful opportunity that she has staring her in the face.

It’s time for our group and our supporters to sacrifice again, to push forward together again like we did in the Gympie rallies, the march on the Qld Labor Convention in 2006, and the EIS submissions.

We are enlisting the support of many groups, conservation groups, political groups, church groups, youth groups, water supply groups, cattlemen, farmers, groups at the Gold Coast and the south side of Brisbane. We will be approaching every group who made a submission to the Senate enquiry.

This is a big ask. It will be a big day.

Planning is at an early stage so this is notice of our intent. Yes we will hire buses to get you there. But if you don’t like the idea of a bus trip we ask you to get a car full of friends. Make it a day out. There is a beautiful park and the beach close by. Make it a hoot! Start organising your little group now. Let us know – email or phone.

You may think you are just one and that you will not be missed. You will be missed. The power of one a hundred times over multiplies to become the power of a thousand.

Peter Garrett, the Federal Minister for the Environment is about to receive the Qld State Gov’t Environmental Impact Study, on which he can refuse the dam. We are amassed behind him, watching him, as he makes his decision. We want him to see us, and Mr Rudd, you are here to help …… remember!

ITS TIME TO RALLY!!

Why is a Protest Rally against the proposed Traveston Dam desperately important RIGHT NOW?

The Federal Gov’t is about to receive the Qld Govt’s Environmental Impact Statement for its review under the EPBC Act.

The Qld Labor Party is holding its State Convention at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on June 21. Kevin “I’m here to help” Rudd will be there. We will assemble at Cascade Gardens Broadbeach to march at 11.00am

Don’t Murray the Mary!!

Have picnic in the park, or hit Jupiters afterwards!!! Make it a day out with friends – our bus or your own carload!!