Barnaby Joyce says no time to waste on bickering over $5.6b Hells Gate Dam

Barnaby Joyce has blasted the Bob Katter “circus” over criticism of the $5.6 billion Hells Gate Dam design, declaring there was “no time to waste” on bickering.

There is no “time to waste” on bickering over the $5.6 billion Hells Gate dam design with crossbench MP Bob Katter, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has said, firing back at criticism that the state’s biggest dam would not be big enough.

Blasting the Katter “circus”, the Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister said the 2100Gl design, which would make it the largest in the state, would be going ahead.

“The circus with Mr Katter has to stop,” he said.

“We have to build this dam, we don’t have time to waste.”

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Emma Brasier

Mr Katter has spent decades pushing for funding for the dam and secured the $54 million for a study into it in 2018, which was the basis for the $5.6 billion funding announcement.

But Mr Katter on Wednesday said he was furious that the announcement fell short of what he demanded from the Morrison Government and has threatened to switch support from the Coalition to Labor in the event of a hung parliament over it.

Mr Joyce expressed frustration with Mr Katter’s reaction to the funding, but said he was not surprised by the reaction.

“It’s like trying to chase around a scalded cat. If you wait for Bob to land on the one stop, you’ll be also probably starting to make crazy calls to people,” he said.

“You’re never going to get the Greens, Mr Katter and a veritable coterie of diverging views all happy and on the same page.”

He said the design option was picked out by Townsville Enterprise Limited, which was appointed to manage the feasibility study.

“If it’s a choice between what the Townsville business community say, or what Bob Katter says, I’m going to roll with the business community,” Mr Joyce said.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter says the Hells Gate dam proposal is too small to make a difference. Picture: Brendan Radke

Hells Gate Dam would hold 2100 gigalitres of water, help irrigate 60,000ha of land and create 10,000 jobs, with a business case expected to be completed in June.

Mr Katter has said he was considering his options, following the announcement.

“I’m leaving it out there. The PM can ring me up any time. The DPM can ring me up anytime. The Labor Party can ring me up anytime. But I’m considering all my options,” he said.

Opposition water and environment spokeswoman Terri Butler has said Labor was open to water projects and would consider any proposal on merit after seeing the business case and departmental advice.