**JOINT MEDIA RELEASE **

STMRCG and GMA

Lessons to be learnt from Traveston dam proposal

Three weeks after Minister Garrett announced his proposed decision to reject the Traveston Crossing Dam campaign groups breathed a sigh of relief when the final decision was announced today unchanged.

“We are very pleased with Minister Garrett’s announcement today and would like to congratulate him for his final decision to reject the Queensland Government’s proposal to dam the Mary River.” said Ms Pickersgill, President of the Save the Mary River Coordinating Group (STMRCG).

“Minister Garrett’s decision confirms what we have been saying for over three and a half years – the dam would have caused irreversible damage and was not a cost effective means of providing water security.”

“We look forward to working with Minister Garrett and his Department on any plan to develop a regional recovery plan for the unique species and ecosystem of the Mary River. It is only through involvement and consultation with the community that this plan will have the best onground outcomes,” said Ms Pickersgill

“The Traveston Dam would have been an environmental, economic and social disaster, not only for the Mary valley, but also for the State and the nation,” said David White, co-convenor of Save The Mary River Brisbane Group

"The 50-year draft SEQ Water Strategy is now open for comment and we urge the government to listen to sustainable and innovative solutions based on the best science from the community. A new plan for a secure future water supply based on sustainable principles could provide new and permanent productive jobs for thousands of workers."

"There are many lessons to be learnt from this Traveston debacle in particular the need for proper consultation and negotiation with communities over water use and supply" he said.

Campaigners are calling on the Queensland Government to immediately revise the legislation which was used to justified the proposed dam.

“In particular we want the Mary Basin Water Resource Plan revised. This plan is a farce, created to make the dam look feasible – it doesn’t protect the Mary River or the Mary Estuary,” said Darryl Stewart, president of the Greater Mary Association (GMA). “We also want the proposed dam to be removed from state legislation including the Water Act where it is listed as a drought measure.”

The Save the Mary River Coordinating Group and the Greater Mary Association are involved in the Mary Valley Renewal team and are focused on making sure that the community voice is heard and acted on by the Queensland Government. 'The community deserves to have a voice in our future vision for the Mary Valley and we urge Ms Bligh to listen and to support us in our way forward." Ms Pickersgill said.

"We are having a huge thank you party on Sat Dec 12, 2009 from 3pm - 10pm at the Kandanga Oval (where the first anti-dam rally was held) and invite anyone who did anything to stop the Traveston Crossing Dam to come and join in the celebration"

***Media Release***

TRAVESTON DAM GETS FINAL NO

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has made his final decision on the Traveston Crossing Dam proposal, determining that the impacts of the proposed dam on threatened species would be too great.

“After carefully considering all the information necessary for me to make my final decision, including the recent comments on my proposed decision by the proponent, the Queensland Coordinator-General and the relevant federal ministers, I have concluded that the Traveston Crossing Dam cannot go ahead without unacceptable impacts on matters of national environmental significance,” Mr Garrett said.

“As I stated when I made my proposed decision on this project, all of my decisions under the national environment law are based primarily on science, and the science is very clear about the adverse impacts this project would have on the nationally protected Australian lungfish, Mary River turtle and Mary River cod.

“The independent expert advice and the advice from my department clearly show the Traveston Dam proposal would lead to serious and irreversible consequences for these species and most likely, would lead to their further decline.

“The Australian environment is under pressure on numerous fronts, and much of our unique wildlife is suffering under the impact of threats including invasive species, habitat loss and the effects of climate change. We’re working hard to respond to these and other threats, and sometimes this requires tough decisions to be made.

“In this context, I want to make clear that in making my final decision on this matter I had regard to the overriding objects of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, including the protection of the environment, the conservation of biodiversity, and the promotion of ecologically sustainable development and the need to consider the precautionary principle in making my decision.

Mr Garrett said dams could play a valuable role in terms of water supply, when well located and carefully designed. The Hinze Dam and the new dam at Wyaralong were approved in the past two years.

“For the Traveston Dam proposal, however, the species’ breeding and their ability to maintain their population numbers would be seriously affected by the flooding of their habitat and by the fragmentation of significant populations, and I was not satisfied that adequate measures were proposed to mitigate these impacts.

“While I acknowledge that the proponent did a great deal of work trying to devise measures to mitigate the impact of the dam on threatened species, and the Coordinator-General proposed some 1,200 conditions of approval, the reality is that the effectiveness of the measures being proposed was highly uncertain, a number of these measures couldn’t be tested until the dam was operational and the impacts were already being felt.

“Throughout the assessment process a range of measures were suggested to better protect the Mary River environment and the threatened species that rely upon it. I believe there are practical measures that should be implemented to protect the species including rehabilitation of riparian corridors, improved cattle fencing around sensitive habitat, and finalisation of a recovery plan for the Australian lungfish. I believe that these are measures that should still be undertaken despite the proposal not proceeding.

“I believe that it’s critical that both local and state government work together to tackle the threats to these species and secure their future. My department is currently examining the possibility of pursuing a regional recovery plan for the area.

“In making my decision I also carefully considered relevant economic and social matters. Independent analysis of this proposal cast serious doubt over its economic merits. I also had regard to the significant concerns raised by the communities in the Mary Valley that would be most directly affected by the dam.

Mr Garrett said that he was well aware of the need for long-term water security for South East Queensland but noted that the Coordinator-General's report identified that the water to be provided by the proposed dam was unlikely to be required prior to 2026, and that there are a number of alternative water supply options available to the Queensland Government.

The Traveston Dam proposal was assessed by the Australian Government because it had the potential to impact on nationally listed threatened species, migratory species, the Great Sandy Strait Ramsar wetland, and the World Heritage values of Fraser Island.

The scientific expert reports and the economic analysis commissioned on this proposal can be found on the department’s website at www.environment.gov.au/ <> pbc