February 20, 2007
When Premier Beattie speaks about water he often sounds like the National Party--more dams to "droughtproof" Queensland, and modifications to the Bradfield's Depression era plan to divert northern rivers (including the Burdekin and Tully) through western rivers ( the Warrego and Thomson rivers) and into the Murray-Darling system. Neither make economic or ecological sense.

Leahy
Beattie 's view is that his state's got water in north Queensland that gets poured into the sea, is wasted and that it should be used to open up additional mining and agriculture in the state's north. It's the old 1950s water development view pure and simple that is being spruiked.
Presumably there are big government subsidies involved in the development since cost estimates by the South Australian Government price water from the scheme at about $6 a kilolitre, more than five times the price of urban water and up to 30 times that being paid by most irrigators who would use most of the new water.
No doubt the water development lobby will sell the idea of the Bradfield Scheme as another Snowy Mountain style project, and then add, to ensure a public subsidy from the Commonwealth, that this scheme will divert excess flood waters from the north into the increasingly parched southern part of the Murray-Darling Basin. It's the old dream of making deserts bloom and creating an agricultural and mining paradise in inland Queensland. Beattie simply has his hand out for cash to develop water resources in the north.
The Murray-Darling Basin has become the battleground for a water war.The irrigation industry in the Basin does not pay its way, and it is dependent on, and expects, massive public investment. If Beattie wants development up north the irrigators should build the necessary infrastructure. The upgrade to the water channels to prevent leakage and e evaporation in the southern part of the basin should be funded by the irrigation industry.
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Putting water into the Thompson isn't going to help the Murray/Darling. The Thompson runs elsewhere. Geography needs more work.