Is Minister Palaszczuk giving incorrect advice to Toowoomba City Council?

State MP for Toowoomba South and Shadow Minister for Primary Industries & Fisheries Mike Horan issued the following press release on 9 November 2005:

"Minister wrong on Darling Downs pipeline

Natural Resources Minister Henry Palaszczuk is wrong to claim a wastewater pipeline to the Darling Downs “does not stack up”, Member for Toowoomba South Mike Horan said today.

The Beattie Government recently announced it would provide $20 million towards piping recycled water to the Swanbank power station and possibly to farms on the Lockyer Valley.

In State Parliament today, Mr Palaszczuk said: “I want to make it perfectly clear to the House today there is no intention whatsoever of extending this (recycled water) pipeline to the Darling Downs. Those people still promoting such an initiative are simply peddling false hopes because the cost benefits of the proposal do not stack up.”

Mr Horan said the Minister was clearly receiving bad advice from his department about NuWater’s proposal to pipe recycled wastewater from Brisbane to the Lockyer Valley and then on to the Darling Downs.

“The business plan shows the project stacks up, a peer review by independent consultants who have previously worked for the State Government shows the project stacks up and the National Water Commission is happy the project stacks up,” he said.

“I have been advised the Department of State Development also believes it stacks up, so there is clearly a conflict between State Government departments.

“About 130,000 megalitres of wastewater is dumped into the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay every year, and the power stations and Lockyer Valley farmers won’t use it all, that’s why there is a proposal to extend a pipeline right through to the Darling Downs.”

Mr Horan said he also understood Mr Palaszczuk’s department had given incorrect advice to Toowoomba City Council about the availability and sustainability of underground water supplies from the irrigation areas of the Downs.

“This water has been put forward as a possible alternative for additional potable water for the city,” he said.

“It is extremely serious when the Minister is giving misleading advice to Parliament and councils on not one, but two major water issues that affect the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region.” "

See - National Party press release.