[Greens-Media] BEATTIE DAM THREATENS END OF LUNGISH: DNR REPORT

[Qld Greens Media]

*BEATTIE DAM THREATENS END OF LUNGISH: DNR REPORT*
A leaked report from the Department of Natural Resources warns against 
any further water infrastructure being built before thorough studies 
into lungfish ecology are conducted, bringing into serious doubt the 
feasibility of the proposed Traveston Dam on the Mary River.

These recommendations are likely to be overlooked however, by a Beattie 
government which plans to use government super-powers which fast-track 
major infrastructure and lock out the community and the environment.

Eminent lungfish researcher Dr Jean Joss from Macquarie University last 
week accused the Beattie government of shredding this report because it 
would compromise his traveston Dam project.

The report,carried out by Steven J. Brooks and Peter K. Kind states that 
lungfish in the Burnett River system will not use the fishway systems to 
get around dams and weirs and seem to be having major spawning problems 
in impoundments.

Greens campaign spokesperson Juanita Wheeler accused Mr Beattie of 
flaunting State and Commonwealth laws for the protection of nature by 
further expanding the powers of the Queensland Coordinator-General to 
speed up the already slick major infrastructure approval process.

_*Juanita Wheeler will be available for interview on this topic at the 
Regatta Ferry terminal at 1.30 p.m. today.*_
"Mr Beattie seems intent on sending the extraordinary lungfish to 
oblivion, ignoring the advice of his environmental experts along the 
way, all for a project that will not provide water for SE Queensland for 
another fifteen years and is unnecessary anyway," Ms Wheeler said.

"He is substituting the Darwinian evolutionary notion of survival of the 
fittest with that of the political survival of Peter Beattie.

"This dam must be called the Peter Beattie Dam to remind people years 
from now that he was the one to cause this environmental disaster."

Ms Wheeler also said Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell needed to 
forget nonsense like his government is "pro-development" and do his job 
under the Commonwealth Government's/ Environment Protection Biodiversity 
Conservation Act/. One of the main aims of that legislation is to 
protect species like the lungfish.

*Copies of the report's Executive Summary are available from the 
Greens.* [The report is entitled "Ecology and demography of the 
Queensland Lungfish in the Burnett River, Queensland: With reference to 
the impacts of the Walla Weir and future water infrastructure", May 2002.]

Thursday 31 August 2006

_/For further information/_/:  Juanita Wheeler 0402 487 110/


-- 
www.qld.greens.org.au

State election Spokesperson. Juanita Wheeler 0402 487 110

Queensland Greens media spokespeople.

Climate Change and Indigenous. Drew Hutton 0428 487 110
Human Rights and Environment. Juanita Wheeler 0402 487 110
Transport and Planning. Greg George 0424 725 719

Queensland Greens campaign coordinator.
Ian Gittus 0422 542 370

Office 3846 0862
fax 3844 4654

www.qld.greens.org.au