We’ve killed the Traveston dam – at great personal cost and trauma to many people – now the Coast’s residents are having to fight desalination of sea water at Marcoola. Another unneeded mega project to cause our people unnecessary grief. When will this lobby-driven mob in George Street Brisbane, who’re totally out of touch with what people want, stop piling it on us? Big, big, big, do it big, is their mantra, whereas small and decentralised is the way to go.
Tugun Desal Plant (photo taken and donated by Mark Swain of "Above Photography")
Water was the issue on the 20 January edition of What’s Going On? with Diet and Mark.
The Councillor for Division 8, Debbie Blumel holds the major projects portfolio, which includes the water business. Smack in the middle of her ward the state government plans to put a huge desalination plant at Marcoola. She has thrown her weight behind those resisting the idea. From her, and from Debbie Johnson, who heads up a fairly new multi-community grouping, we heard why desalination is a rubbish idea. Debbie Johnson appeals for people to join their fight and Mark and Diet add that Traveston Dam wasn’t going to be exactly in our back yard, but Coast people rallied against it, so let’s now get behind the anti-desalination fight in the same way.
We began by asking Debbie Blumel where Council stands on desalination, and you’ll be as surprised as we were at the answer:
runs 2′32″
Here’s what Mayor Bob Abbott told What’s Going On? immediately after Traveston was axed and Premier Anna Bligh announced there’d be desalination instead:
Tugun Desal Plant 2(photo taken and donated by Mark Swain of "Above Photography")
runs 1′12″
Tugun Desal Plant 3 (photo taken and donated by Mark Swain of "Above Photography")
..and back to Debbie Blumel
(in 3 parts)
runs 5′39″
runs 10′17″
runs 5′42″
Debbie Johnson is president of Communities Against Desalination, a group formed in Marcoola in response to the state government’s proposal to build a huge desalination plant near Maroochydore airport. The group needs your help in a hurry, because the Christmas-New Year break slowed down their campaigning. Mark put it to Debbie that they’re not just a “not-in-my-backyard” group.
Tugun Desal Plant 4 (photo taken and donated by Mark Swain of "Above Photography")
part 1 runs 7′26″
part 2 runs 4′02″
Sounds like some well-organised campaigning there. But we’ve had to get good at that here on the Coast, and in our hinterland, haven’t we, there’s so much trouble coming out of George Street. If you want to drop in to our station, we’re keeping a few submission forms here. You can also download them from http://www.cadi.org.au/. You can find a link to the Queensland Water Commission’s draft proposal on this site.
We finished our wrap-up on water with a quote from Narelle McCarthy, manager of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council an alliance of more than 40 groups, stretching from Cooloola to Caboolture, and more than 300 individual, family and business members. She said this after Anna Bligh announced her desal plans.
runs 56″
You can contact What’s Going On? by emailing markrzz@bigpond.com or leaving a message 9 to 5 weekdays at the station, phone 5477 2233.
From the second of February this show will be on
Tuesday mornings from 11 to 12.
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