The costs of the federal government’s commitment to fund dams in Queensland without the scrutiny of a now-abolished national advisory body should be a cause for concern for the community, a former supreme court judge says.
Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce disbanded the National Water Grid Advisory Body this week, claiming it was “an appropriate time for it to conclude its work”.
The body had been established by Joyce’s predecessor, Michael McCormack, in 2020 to scrutinise and provide advice on major water infrastructure projects.
But former New South Wales supreme court judge Anthony Whealy QC from the Centre of Public Integrity said it’s unlikely the body has done its job two years after its establishment, and with several major projects unexamined.
“The budget announcements and the uncertainty over these projects should be a cause for concern in the community,” said Whealy.
“And against that background, of course, we wonder why the national water advisory board has suddenly been disbanded?”
“It seems to be quite unwise … On the face of it, it looks a poor decision.”
A spokesperson for Joyce has said the body “was never intended to be ongoing” and it had “met the objectives set for it when it was established in August 2020”.
The termination of the national advisory body comes amid a huge cost blowout for Emu Swamp dam, with the federal government announcing another $126.5m for the project, taking their investment to $166.5m.
The 12,000 megalitre dam on the Severn River was initially slated to cost $84m, with funding provided by the federal government ($47m), Queensland government ($13.6m) and local irrigators ($23.4m).
Irrigator Granite Belt Water Ltd told Guardian Australia last week it had grave concerns about the viability of the project and that governments would need to triple their spend for the dam to proceed.
“It is rather extraordinary that a project which seemed so promising and was carefully examined from 2019 onwards has now blotted out to double the original cost estimates,” Whealy said.
“You have to really worry about whether the public interest is well served by setting aside so much money.”
Queensland water minister Glenn Butcher said he was “aware” that Granite Belt Water has announced a “pause phase” for the project.
“The Queensland government is happy to continue working through any issues with [Granite Belt Water] and the Australian government in order for the proponent to determine the next steps,” he said.
Guardian Australia also revealed last month that the National Water Grid Advisory Body – established by Joyce’s predecessor, Michael McCormack – was not consulted before the announcement of $5.9bn in funding to build the Urannah and Hells Gates dams in north Queensland.
The proponent for the Urannah project last week said it had recently completed a detailed business case, although the Guardian understands it had not been seen by the advisory board.
A detailed business case for the Hells Gates Dam, north-west of Townsville, is still in development. Townsville Enterprise, the proponent, says on its website that the document will be ready in April.
The Queensland Conservation Council has written to Unesco about the two dams on the last day of its monitoring mission, which will assess whether the Reef should be listed as “in danger”.
“The delegates’ mission coincided with the fourth major bleaching event in six years,” climate campaigner Maggie Mckeown said.
“Within the delegates’ 10-day visit, Joyce announced almost $6bn to build two new mega dams in vulnerable reef catchments and Morrison’s budget made significant cuts to climate action measures.”
Mckeown, said the projects would increase agricultural runoff, sediment and turbidity and supply water resources to new coal mines, increasing carbon emissions.
“The future of the Reef depends on the decisions that our government makes today. Unesco must see that Morrison is willing to fund Reef-wrecking projects for the benefit of fossil fuel companies.”
