Senate candidate Campbell Newman wants to revisit Traveston dam at Gympie

Ex premier Campbell Newman has been slammed by both sides of Parliament after vowing to revisit the hugely unpopular Traveston dam proposal should he win election to the Senate on May 21.

A proposal by Senate candidate Campbell Newman to revisit the controversial Traveston dam has been met with bipartisan rejection with MPs from Labor and the LNP asking why he did not do it himself when he had the chance.

State Water Minister Glenn Butcher and Gympie MP Tony Perrett each rebuked the Liberal Democrats senate candidate’s commitment this week to revisit the unpopular Mary Valley dam proposal if elected on May 21.

The one-time Queensland premier said in a media release he would resurrect the possibility of the dam to “protect Gympie”.

A dam would have significantly reduced the impacts of this year’s flooding disasters, he said.

The $2 billion, 161,000 Megalitre dam proposed in 2006, would have stretched south from the Traveston Crossing Bridge near Amamoor.

It was rejected in 2009 following a sensational backlash and orchestrated campaign from the Gympie and Mary Valley communities, backed by The Gympie Times.

Liberal Democrat Queensland Lead Senate candidate, Campbell Newman, says he will revisit the controversial Traveston dam proposal if he is elected.

The dam would have submerged Kandanga and great swathes of the Mary Valley, and the state government spent $500 million buying up properties in its pathway.

Then-Labor environment minister Peter Garrett delivered the final blow in 2009 amid concerns over the environmental impact on the Mary River and endangered species that live there, such as the lungfish, Mary River cod and Mary River turtle.

Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher was not having any bar of the Liberal Democrat’s pitch.

Mr Butcher questioned why Mr Newman did not revisit the Traveston plan himself when he was voted into the state’s top job in 2012.

Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher said Senate candidate Campbell Newman’s proposal was nothing more than an attempt to hide his own failure in not progressing the controversial Traveston Dam when he had the chance. Pics Tara Croser.

The LNP Party held 78 of the state’s 89 seats under Mr Newman’s premiership.

“When Campbell Newman was premier, he did not progress this project,” Mr Butcher said.

“In fact, he didn’t progress any water infrastructure project.

“The LNP’s only legacy was to can a dam.”

Mr Butcher said the State received “expert advice on important issues of dam safety and flood mitigation”.

“This latest media statement is a desperate last-ditch attempt by a political has-been, to hide his failure to deliver when he had the chance.”

Tanzi Smith (third from left) and Glenda Pickersgill (third from right) with supporters celebrate at the Federal Court in Brisbane following the decision to cancel the Traveston Dam project.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett, who was voted in the same year Mr Newman’s party lost government, had a similar response.

“If it was that important why did he do nothing when he was premier for three years?” Mr Perrett said.

“What he did do was put in place the Mary Valley Economic Development Strategy which resold all the land that had been acquired back into private ownership.”

Mr Newman’s comments arrive on the heels of the second destructive Mary River flood in the Gympie region in three months.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett said it was under Campbell Newman’s leadership that the land which would have been inundated by the Traveston dam was resold back to private ownership. Picture: Shane Zahner

In February 2022, many parts of the city were submerged when the river peaked at a height of 22.96m, the second highest flood on record.

Water again inundated the CBD in May following heavy rain across south east Queensland and the Wide Bay, although at a much lower height of 16.01m.

Mr Newman said in a press release on Tuesday, May 17, the worst of these disasters would have been avoided had the Traveston dam gone ahead.

“If the Traveston dam had been built, there would have been a 4m lower flood in Gympie because of the flood mitigation benefits,” Mr Newman said in the statement.

Mary Valley residents celebrate the rejection of the Traveston dam proposal in 2009.

“It also would provide important water supply security for Brisbane and the Sunshine and Gold Coast regionsm,” he said.

“It’s clear both Labor and Liberal are against building dams and don’t have the ticker to fight for what is right and to put people first.”

Mr Newman said if he was elected on May 21 he would fight to put the dam back on the table.

“I will continue to fight for flood mitigation schemes that would have protected up to 10,000 homes and businesses in Brisbane and Ipswich in this year’s floods and I’ll fight to revisit the Traveston dam to protect Gympie,” he said in the statement.

“Queensland has not seen one dam built since 2015.

“This is not good enough and Queenslanders deserve better.”

A spokesman for incumbent Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the Federal Coalition stood by its track record on dam investment.

“The (Traveston) decision in 2009 was made by the Federal Labor Government at the time,” the spokesman said.

“Since 2015, the Coalition Government has committed more than $7.2 billion for water infrastructure projects in Queensland.

“The Coalition urges the Queensland Labor Government to commence construction on these important water infrastructure projects as soon as possible for the benefit of regional areas.

Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien did not respond to a request for his reaction, and Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig declined to respond.