Beattie cops salt water spray from Gold Coast ...

Gold Coast City Council asks Beattie to 'pony up' the compensation he is apparently offering for his takeover of water assets.

With Beattie's track record, it's not surprising that the Gold Coast are wary of his promises.

Toowoomba residents are still breathing a sigh of relief that 'Cyclone Pete' has by-passed the city for the moment.

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Councils call for fair go

29 May 2007

Brisbane region residents have become political footballs as the Gold Coast threatens to axe two vital water projects while the Commonwealth considers whether to delay a Sunshine Coast pipeline.

On the southern front, furious Gold Coast councillors yesterday threatened to stop work on the Tugun desalination plant and the Hinze Dam. They accused the State Government of being untrustworthy in its promise to compensate southeast Queensland councils for last week's takeover of their water assets.

Meanwhile, a stoush has erupted between Infrastructure Minister Anna Bligh and federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Ms Bligh said the Commonwealth was reconsidering its initial approval of a 55km pipeline connecting the Mary River to the southeast Queensland water grid because of concerns about rare turtles, lungfish and cod.

She said officers in Mr Turnbull's department were considering a full-blown environmental assessment process which would delay the project by up to six months, raising the risk of southeast Queensland running dry in 2009.

Laying of the pipeline, which will deliver 12 per cent of current southeast Queensland water usage, is already about three months behind schedule. However Mr Turnbull, who was overseas at a whale conference in Canada last night, would probably be reluctant to insist on a full environmental study ahead of the looming federal election.
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Gold Coast councillors said yesterday they were seeking legal advice on the state's takeover of the $1.2 billion Tugun desalination plant. They also demanded it sign a contract to pay for all costs associated with the $400 million raising of the Hinze Dam.

"I say to the State Government, 'Put your money where your mouth is'," water committee chairwoman Daphne McDonald said. "Our first responsibility is to the ratepayers of this city."

A public-private consortium raising the Hinze Dam will run out of money next week, however the council is refusing to provide any further funding until the Government guarantees compensation in a legally binding contract.

Cr Susie Douglas said no further council money should be spent on the project and, if Premier Peter Beattie wanted control of water infrastructure, he could raise the dam with state funds.

Mr Beattie said the council was required to complete the desalination plant. "The truth is it is set by regulation that they are required to do it by law, we expect them to do it by law," he said.

Mr Beattie said people did not want to see "stupid local politics" standing in the way of water infrastructure.

Ms Bligh also claimed political games were responsible for the potential delay of the Sunshine Coast pipeline. She told Mr Turnbull last week in a strongly worded letter that the project must stay on track.

"The 65 megalitres per day (the pipeline will deliver) is critical to maintaining water supplies in the greater Brisbane area in the event that the current record low rainfall patterns continue," she wrote.

See - Councils call for fair go.

Also see - Gold Coast Bulletin - Water war gets dirty.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said the Gold Coast could have kept its assets if past and present Labor politicians had not scrapped the Wolffdene dam.

Former Labor premier Wayne Goss - whose closest adviser and campaign director at the time were current Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and Opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan - won a seat in the area in 1989 after promising to scrap the Coalition's plan to dam the Albert River at Wolffdene near Beenleigh.

Midnight Oil lead singer Peter Garrett, who is now Mr Rudd's environment spokesman, even spoke with Mr Goss at a Wolffdene dam protest meeting.

Mr Goss delivered on his promise after taking government and, along with his Beattie Government Labor successors, was thereafter plagued with questions about water supply to the southeast corner.

"None of today's events would have been necessary if the drips had just built Wolffdene," said Mr Seeney.
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See - Gold Coast Buletin - $4b splash and grab.