Images of Strait to be Displayed in Spain

Images of the Great Sandy Strait by local photographer Stewart Riddell will soon be heading to Spain as part of a Mary River campaign 'Homage' display at the 2008 International Zaragosa Expo 'Water and Sustainable Development'.

The battle to stop the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam is expected to be the only Australian issue to win a place at the expo. Project manager Wayne Cameron, of the Brisbane-based Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee, said until his project was nominated, Australia was not represented among the 100 nations involved in the expo which carries the theme 'Water and Sustainable Development'.

“We got in at the last minute, and we have had our professional team approved by the international body, and while our collaborators are all highly regarded in their own right, we are participating with Nobel Prize winners from some of these countries."

And like everything in this ground roots campaign to stop a predicted environmental disaster in South-East Queensland, Australia, it is being presented by volunteers.

“Ours is the only country which has not secured government support or funding at any level for our representation at this most important expo,” Mr Cameron said.

Expo Zaragoza 2008 will run from June 14-September 14 in the Spanish city. It is an International Exposition regulated by the International Expositions Bureau, and the first of these was held in London in 1851. Since its success, numerous expositions have been held all over the world, including the Paris Exposition of 1889, which gave birth to the Eiffel Tower.

Roberto Epple is the executive director of the European Rivers Network, which is collaborating with the Zaragoza-based Foundation for a New Water Culture (FNCA) to invite international non-government organisations to participate in a multi-media exhibit entitled “Homage to the Affected of Water Policies”, which will form the centrepiece of the Pavilion of Citizens Initiatives. The project “Mary River Catchment – Traveston Dam Proposal” has been approved for entry along with 21 international case studies.

ERN and FNCA are collaborating to provide partial seed funding to assist the production of the 'Homage' which will use writing, photography and film to capture the human rights issues of both the affected Mary River community and environmental effects on the catchment and its immediate region.

It is planned the “Homage” presentation will participate in other expositions in big cities all around the world after the closing of the three months Zaragoza exposition.

Submission Deadline Extended!

Some great news for those campaigners and supporters frantically trying to complete a response to the Government's 1600 page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a section thereof ... the deadline for submissions has been extended to January 14!

According to a public notice released yesterday, "a number of discrepencies" had been identified in the report, so the Co-ordinator General granted the extension. An addendum has been produced and a copy will be circulated to those interested as it comes to hand.

So folks, we now have an additional six weeks or so to gather more evidence of the flaws in this ludicrous proposal! Fantastic news.

Please don't hesitate to contact us for help or more information.

Stall at Nikenbah Markets

Trevor the Mary River Turtle helped out on our campaign stall at the Nikenbah Markets (Hervey Bay) last weekend. Although some children - even some adults - find him a bit scary from time to time, overall he is a big hit wherever he goes and is no doubt developing a bit of a fan club along the way.

The stall itself was one of numerous being held at markets throughout the region as part of the campaign initiative to not only raise awareness about the dam, but also gather public submissions against the EIS.

'Needle' submissions - i.e. small, one-pagers - commenting on various aspects of the EIS have been prepared by the campaign and presented to people for signing. It is hoped the thousands of submissions collected will send a message loud and clear to the Government that Fraser Coast residents and visitors alike don't want a dam on the Mary River.

Fraser Coast Campaign Group Formed!

After the public meeting at the Neighbourhood Centre in Maryborough on October 31, finally a new campaign group has been formed on the Fraser Coast - The Greater Mary Association(GMA). Although the longterm wellbeing of the Mary River and Sandy Strait will be of concern to the group in the future, currently it's key aim will be to galvanise the efforts of anti-dam campaigners across the region, with the aim of focusing on downstream issues, in particular, the impacts of the dam on the Mary River estuary.

At the meeting, GMA executive members were elected (Darryl Stewart, John Kingston, Tanzi Smith, Elisabeth Berry, Alan Bray, Gilbert Allison, Cliff Greenhalgh) and numerous residents from Maryborough Hervey Bay, Tiaro and beyond were lining up to join and offer their support to the campaign.

Fingers crossed that the intentions and goals of this new association will be achieved!

EIS RELEASED - URGENT RESPONSE NEEDED!

With the recent release of the State Government’s 1600 page Environmental Impact Study (EIS) into the Traveston Crossing Dam - outrageous stuff! - a new wave of protest is swelling on the Fraser Coast. If you would like to view the Executive Summary of the report, ourgreatsandy has a pdf version available. If you'd like a copy, send us an email.

On Thursday, (October 25) a meeting was held in Maryborough to canvas for expressions of interest in forming a Lower Mary/Great Sandy Strait association, with the initial aim of bringing together campaign efforts from all lower Mary communities, including Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Tiaro, and villages down the Strait.

Now, a public meeting has been called to form an official committee.

When: Wednesday, October 31st , 7.30pm start
Where: Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre – Ellena Street

It is short notice, but the situation is urgent. Members of the public only have until December 3 (that's only five weeks) to make submissions in response to the EIS. It is vital that residents of Fraser Coast communities express their concerns about the dam to the Federal Government.

Hope to see you at the meeting!

Twitching for Mary - Attention Birdwatchers!

Bird Watchers are needed to take part in “Twitching for Mary" on Sunday 7th October.

Teams of 3-4 people will be assigned to properties from the Conondales to the sea, to survey the area anytime between 6 am & 6 pm.

In light of the existing and proposed threats to the Mary Catchment, there is a need for greater understanding of bird populations and distributions.

The survey will help gather information on the fauna of the Mary River, and organisers need many interested observers to participate in this important event.

Data collected on the day will be submitted to Birds Australia (Birds Atlas), Burnett Mary Regional Group, Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee and the Save the Mary River Coordinating Group, which could be helpful for the Environmental Impact Statement’s submission. It will also help target future bird conservation activities throughout the region.

If you are able to participate please send an e-mail ASAP with “Twitching for Mary” as the subject heading to greenlinnet@cooloola.net or phone Dawn Forrer or Robert Bell on 5485 2836. Teams need to be finalised before the 30th September.

International Support for Campaign









The STMRCG was host to some special guests from international river campaign organisations on the weekend.

Director of the International Rivers Network (US), Patrick McCulley, Director of the European Rivers Network, Roberto Epple, and Environment Conservation Manager of the UK Environment Agency, Alastair Driver, joined members of the STMRCG in the Mary Valley to get the low-down on the Traveston Dam proposal and to offer their full support to the campaign against it.

The location of the proposed dam and dam wall, areas of remnant rainforest marked for removal for road realignment, native vegetation and endemic species that would be displaced or driven to extinction by the proposal, were all covered, including a close encounter with Travis, the forty-year-old Mary River turtle.

The guests were unanimous in their surprise that this project is still being pushed by the government. Their experiences of similar proposals have been in third-world, largely undemocratic countries, where corruption is rife and communities have little say in the decision-making process.

Seeing the river mouth and the Great Sandy Strait from a light aircraft put the issue into perspective for Roberto and Patrick. It made them realise just how special this environment is and how necessary it is to keep up the fight to protect it, not only against proposals like the Traveston Dam, but other threats it will undoubtedly face in the future.

Much advice was shared and fresh ideas gained.

Thanks Patrick, Roberto and Alastair. Look forward to sharing a toast with you at that celebration party we talked about when this fight is won!

Surprise sighting on Hervey Bay Beaches
Clumps of Water Hyacinth have been sighted on beaches around the Bay and on Fraser Island after the recent heavy rains and flooding of the Mary River.

Much of the massive 'dead zone' of noxious weed, including salvinia molesta, which had been suffocating the Mary for several kilometres near Gympie, was flushed out to sea by the floods. Fortunately, hyacinth doesn't like salt water. The concern for some has been the impacts the dying weed would have on seagrass beds if it sank to the sea floor.

This deposit on the beach near the Urangan Fish Market was the largest we found.

Other signs of 'river flushing' have been reported from Kingfisher jetty on Fraser Island. Soon after the storm a great plume of brownish cloudy water, packed with nutrients, was spotted approaching the jetty through the clear blue water, where it lingered for several days. It was a perfect illustration of just how far-reaching the influence of the Mary's environmental flows are in the Strait, and how vital it is that these flows continue!

CAMPAIGN MEETING IN HERVEY BAY!

Next Tuesday, August 28, we will be holding our first campaign meeting in Hervey Bay. The event aims to bring together members of the community who want to be involved in the campaign, or would simply like to learn more about it - the focus, of course, being on the threat the dam poses to the Great Sandy Strait.

Key members of the Save the Mary River Coordinating Group (STMRCC) will be there to bring us up to date on the latest developments and answer questions. We’d love you to join us!

Campaign Meeting
Date: Tuesday, August 28th
Location: Urangan Community Centre—Botanic Gardens, Elizabeth Street
Time: 7.00pm start

Hope to see you there!

Hervey Bay Whale Festival

Members of the team outside a campaign stall in the 'Blue Tent', at the Annual Hervey Bay Whale Festival in August.

MEDIA RELEASE

ACTION GROUP TO HOLD INDEPENDENT MEETING TO ASSESS SOCIAL IMPACTS

Dam opponents will hold their own meeting to record the anticipated social pain of the downstream communities should the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam go ahead.

The Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group will facilitate the meeting to be held in the Maryborough City Hall on Tuesday 21 August at 7.00 pm.

“This meeting will give every member of the public the opportunity to participate in a social impact assessment and not just the select few invited to the workshop run by the State government a few weeks ago,” said Kevin Ingersole, the group Chairman.

“Queensland Water Infrastructure is required to do a social impacts assessment and they deliberately have not asked residents as individuals for their response. Well, we are giving the people their opportunity. The responses collected at this meeting on a confidential basis will be included in the information sent to the Federal Government which will make the final decision on whether this dam is built or not,” he said.

At the meeting, Mr. Ingersole will explain the QWI approach to the Social Impacts Assessment and why the Save the Mary River Group does not support it.

To give residents the opportunity to speak freely, media representatives will not be invited.

In helping to organise the meeting, Tiaro Councillor Darryl Stewart said that the conservative estimates of a $300 million downturn in economic activity downstream if the dam is built ensures that the social impact of the dam will be tragically enormous from Gympie right out into Hervey Bay and all communities in between.

“The Premier and his Deputy have completely ignored and dismissed out of hand all consideration of the downstream communities in pushing their unnecessary and unwanted political barrow,” he said. “Consultation and democratic rights are obviously words not included in the Premier’s dictionary.”

Maryborough Mayor Barb Hovard and her Council are fully supportive of the need for people to have input into the process.

“This meeting will probably be the only opportunity for our regional residents to tell the government how they believe the proposed dam will affect them,” she said. “I urge as many people as possible to find the time to come along and be heard.”


For Further Information, contact :

Kevin Ingersole Ph. 54884219 Mob 0419538499

Darryl Stewart Ph 41296190

Local Business Community Starting to Listen

The second in a series of three 'Traveston Dam' presentations for the Hervey Bay Chamber of Commerce took place this morning. Last month (June 25) Roger Currie (pictured) spoke on behalf of the campaign, trying to cover as many of the downstream impacts - particularly economic - as possible in a short space of time. Today it was the Government's turn, and Hervey Bay's Labor Member, Andrew Macnamara, attempted to explain how the dam will benefit the community and the future of Queensland.

Here's a quick summary of the key points given by both presenters ...

Roger Currie outlined:

• the Cost Benefits Analysis (CBA) carried out on the dam and the substantial economic loss to the region should the 70,000mgl annual yield of the Mary Catchments be allocated to Brisbane
• the potential ecological losses to the region - how the dam will mean reduced ‘essential triggering flows' entering the RAMSAR Great Sandy Strait
• the potential indicative economic values of the Great Sandy Ramsar Wetland
• that the statement that the environmental health of the Mary River will not be significantly affected by a large dam at Traveston Crossing because 'end of system' flows will be maintained in excess of 85% of pre-development flows, is simply not supported by the comprehensive scientific investigations that have already taken place during the formulation of the Mary Basin Water Resource Plan.

He also referred to Paradise Dam (which, incidently, has been voted by the World Commission on Dams as one of the most disasterous dams in the world) and the Government's failure to successfully mitigate for Lungfish there. In doing so they breached the conditions of approval under the EPBC 1999.

Read Roger's submission to the Senate Inquiry here.

Today, Andrew Macnamara said:

• He supports the Traveston Dam because (he says) it is vital for Queensland's future
• The dam will produce economic benefits that will offset the losses
• If the Environmental Impact Study stacks up the dam will go ahead; if it doesn't, it won't
• Anyone who opposes the dam is arguing for zero population growth
• He only supports the dam on the basis of Government flow reports (referred to Roger's calculations as the 'back-of-envelope' sort)
• That those against the dam are suffering from NIMBYism, which hinders progress

As the latter 'Anna Bligh' style remark indicates, the speech offered nothing but the usual party spiel, with very little acknowledgement of the negative impacts.

There was time for questions after today's speech, and the issues raised by chamber members were encouraging. Referrence was made to some of the points made in Roger's presentation and they clearly had serious doubts about the wisdom of this dam.

The third in the series of presentations will be given by Graham Newton, speaking on behalf of Queensland Water and Infrasture (QWI) in August.

Stayed tuned.

Fraser Coast Show Success

We are very pleased to report that nearly 300 people signed our 'paper' petition at the Fraser Coast Show on Friday (Sign our online petition here!). There is a great deal of anger and disbelief in the community about the dam, and it was encouraging for the campaign to be reminded that it has so much support behind it.

Discussion during the day with politicians was both sobering and inspiring. It was reaffirmed that, despite all the efforts being made to show the disasterous environmental, social and cultural impacts of the dam, none of it will give the Federal Environment Minister the power to interfere with the State Government's plans unless an exact infringement of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBCA) can be proven. This means the Minister will only act if, one: an 'endangered' species (not threatened) is going to be impacted (try this list for starters! ... http://econews.org.au/threatened.jpg), or two: if it can be proven that the Ramsar listed wetland of the Great Sandy Strait will be affected.

Well we have plenty of ammunition on both counts. (For those of you who haven't read about it at ourgreatsandy.com, much of the Strait has been listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International/National Significance since 1999, and this means, under the EPBC Act, any action that has, will have, or is likely to have a significant impact on its ecological character cannot proceed without approval from the Federal Environment Minister. To obtain approval, the action must undergo a rigorous environmental assessment and approval process.)

Pictured: Supporters signing the petition at the show (EB seated).

Yag'ubi World Music Festival -
Our First Stall in Hervey Bay!

Well we've finally got the ball rolling in Hervey Bay! Our first 'Save the Great Sandy' stall was held in the Green Tent of the Yag'ubi Festival on the weekend, and members of the Save the Mary River group joined us there. We received quite a lot of interest in the campaign, not only from locals, but also visitors from Brisbane, and a number of names were added to our new 'VOLUNTEER REGISTER', which we will soon use to form a campaign body right here in Hervey Bay. Keep an eye on the website for further developments.

Our next stall will be held at the Fraser Coast Show in Maryborough on May 24-25. Merchandise will be for sale. Hope to see you there!

Pictured: Elisabeth Berry, Tricia Roth and Joan Berry, with Glenda Pickersgill in the background. Keith Gall was behind the camera.

‘Mary River Forever’ - Amen

The ‘Sisters of Mary’ alongside Senator Barnaby Joyce and others, on the steps of the Brisbane Convention Centre, day two of the Senate Inquiry into the dam. The previous day more than a hundred people crammed into the small conference centre at Gympie for the first hearing.

A total of 199 submissions were received by the Senate, and all but one—the State Government’s—were critical of the dam proposal. A number of those who made a submission had the opportunity to make presentations at the hearings and were subject to cross examination. Social, environmental and economic impacts were tabled, although the media’s coverage has, once again, been largely concerned with upstream issues. ourgreatsandy.com (read our submission here) joined the Fraser Island Defenders Organisation (FIDO) (here), in drawing attention to the impacts expected to occur in the Great Sandy region. The Hervey Bay City Council (HBCC) also reinforced these concerns by re-entering the ourgreatsandy.com submission.

The inquiry will resume in Canberra in May to hear submissions on alternatives to the Traveston project, including Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s proposal to pump water from northern New South Wales rivers to southeast Queensland.

Dolphin Research—Our Newest Weapon?

Recently there has been a bit of hype over Southern Cross University (SCU) researchers shooting darts at dolphins in Tin Can Bay and scaring them away from a popular dolphin feeding spot in the area.

The research process was labelled ‘inhumane’ by owners of Barnacles Dolphin Centre—the operators of the feeding site (which would have been illegal if the State Government hadn’t ignored its environmental protection laws once again.)

What the researchers were actually doing was collecting tissue samples (less that 5mls of tissue) from the animals in an attempt to determine their migratory patterns—the extent of their family trees and whether or not they migrate to other waters. It was the latest in a number of dolphin research expeditions in the Great Sandy Strait/Hervey Bay area by SCU. In 2004-2005 a study was made into the distribution and abundance of Indo Pacific Humpback Dolphins (sousa chinesis) in the area, with some impressive conclusions made, including the fact that Great Sandy and Hervey Bay support the largest number of dolphins recorded in Australia.

Results of the biopsies taken in Tin Can Bay last week are now being claimed to have the potential to stop the damming of the Mary River, because, like the dugong, a dam could have a detrimental affect on dolphin food sources, and threaten the very survival of dolphin populations in the area.

The Battle to Get Brisbane Onside

It’s not the first time the campaign has been taken to the streets (or in this photo’s case, river) of Brisbane, but the need to convince the people of the capital that the dam is the wrong way to go was reinforced at a public information forum held in West End on Saturday.

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett, a long term supporter of the Save the Mary River Group, hosted the session, which aimed to give Brisbane residents the facts on the dam and the threats it poses to the environment. Professor Stuart White from the Sydney University of Technology was also in attendance, presenting an outline of the anti-dam report he co-authored, after being commissioned by the Mary River Council of Mayors.

“We need to get Brisbane people on-side,” Senator Bartlett was quoted as saying in the Fraser Coast Chronicle. “The Government has already programmed themselves to ignore people outside Brisbane.”

Indeed, according to Queensland Deputy Premier, Anna Bligh, people outside Brisbane who are against the dam are suffering from nothing but a classic case of ‘NIMBY’ (i.e. ‘not-in-my-back-yard’) syndrome. She says we are selfish for wanting to prevent wide-scale environmental, social and cultural destruction in the landscapes we love; that instead we should be willing to sacrifice them for the greater good … blah blah. Sounds all too much like the ‘Local Pain for National Gain’ myth Arundhati Roy blasts in The Cost of Living; a biting commentary on dams in India. Well worth a read if you’re interested in this subject.

Mega Dam a Fool’s Errand

It was fantastic to hear yesterday that actor Donald Sutherland has spoken out against the Mary River dam proposal. The Hollywood superstar was in Hervey Bay this week filming for a movie called ‘Fool’s Gold’, which also stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.

‘I’m urging you to campaign strongly against the damming of the Mary River,’ Sutherland was quoted as saying in the Fraser Coast Chronicle.

He was passionate about the issue and said local residents must do all they can to save our Mary. He referred to other countries like India, where the damming of rivers has been a total disaster.

“Just don’t dam the river because this is such a beautiful place and needs to be kept that way,” he said.

Below is a snap looking towards Moon Point – the northernmost tip of the Great Sandy Strait—where the cast and crew filmed for a few days. (If you know the area and you watch the film, you might just see some familiar scenes!)

In a Town, By a River ...



















Last night, March 19, Maryborough held its second ‘NO DAM’ public information event in the Town Hall. Despite having a ‘black out’ half way through organizers managed to keep things running. The hall has good acoustics so the speakers on the stage were able to continue with their presentations in the darkness, despite the absence of a microphone.

One of the main aims of the evening was to discuss the Senate Inquiry and encourage members of the community to make a submission before the deadline in early April. The Save the Mary Coordinating Group also screened their documentary The Damning of Mary by Big Love Productions.

Déjà vu? - Mary’s ‘Flotilla of Hope’

You might find it a familiar image: Bob Brown, on a river, surrounded by NO DAM placards. Indeed you may ask, is this a scene from the eighties Franklin campaign in Tasmania? Well, no, the photo was taken in the year 2006 in Queensland, where, despite the fact that most First World nations now realise mega dams are not the best solution to increasing water problems, the debate is happening all over again.

This flotilla took place last May to draw media attention to the campaign against the Mary River dam at Traveston. Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown, sat proudly at the helm, leading more than a hundred canoes, kayaks, even surfboards, on a two hour journey down the Mary to Traveston Crossing—the site of the proposed dam wall.






















The crowd on Traveston Crossing Bridge, waiting for the flotilla to approach. Beyond the trees in the distance, police guarded the drill site where officials were drilling bore holes to test the suitability of the ground for a mega dam. Experts predict the foundations will not be suitable. A scientist from the University of Queensland has stated that up to three metres of water could be lost each year to leakage, in addition to the metre already expected to be lost through evaporation!

that day, in the Kandanga Hall, the crowd nearly lifted the roof with applause and protest. We were a small group representing Hervey Bay—which has since become the norm at these campaign events. People downstream just don’t seem to understand how far reaching the effects of this dam will be.

During his speech Bob Brown declared he would personally take the fight against the proposed Traveston Crossing site to Canberra. ‘If I have anything to do with it, this dam will not go ahead!’ he said.

He compared the current battle with that of the Franklin which was won against unthinkable odds. Everybody except the environmentalists were for the Franklin dam. Everyone except the Beattie government, however, is united against the damming of the Mary. That has to count for something.

‘Dams are so last century,’ Sen. Brown said. ‘Water efficiency and recycling are the new way forward.'

World Wetlands Day—February 3, 2007

Downstream impacts of the proposed dam were the major focus at Cooloola’s first ever World Wetland’s Day celebration this weekend.

Concerned residents of Tin Can Bay turned out to listen to the experts. Being World Wetlands Day, there was a particular emphasis on the ways the dam would effect the Great Sandy Strait. Tin Can Bay is south of Hervey Bay, at the southern most end of the strait.

The four member panel here pictured—Roger Currie, Steve Burgess, Darryl Stewart and Steve Dennis—covered the issues eloquently and passionately, with a bit of song thrown in.