Nationals MLC from Bathurst Sam Farraway lobbying government to bring Dunoon Dam back

Mr Farraway, who is the new NSW Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and for Water Infrastructure, said he is doing this because “Rous is unable to supply water at the current consumption levels beyond 2024”.

A MLC from Bathurst is lobbying the government to bring back the Dunoon dam despite the decisions taken by Rous councillors.

Bathurst MLC Sam Farraway, took up the job of Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and for Water Infrastructure in June 2021.

He has written to Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey to ensure the Dunoon dam is not kept outside the water security plans for this area.

“I have been following that project for several months, I have been contacted by a number of community members in the Northern Rivers over the last three to six months on this issue,” he said.

“I wrote to (Mr Joyce and Minister Pavey) back on July 19 on the issue, before the latest Rous meeting, to highlight some of the key issues playing out in that part of the state: the projected 40 per cent increase in connections though to 2060 that Rous will see, the 110,000 residents that are already on the water grid, and the fact that Rous is unable to supply water at the current consumption levels beyond 2024.

“I am calling on the Federal and NSW governments to work together.

“First, I want the governments to co-fund an independent study, and I want them to investigate four critical areas: one, water storage and security for the Northern Rivers and far North Coast, and I want this to include the Dunoon dam proposal.

“Second, I want them to look at flood mitigation issues that relate to water storage in the region that could tie directly into the Dunoon dam.

“Third, I want them to look at river health, because I think there is a lot of work that can be done around river health.

“And fourth, water quality.”

Mr Farraway said he has asked to meet with Mr Joyce and Minister Pavey later this month to discuss the issue.

Alstonville farmers have also called on Minister Pavey to act on the Future Water Plan. 

The proposed 50GL dam was removed from Rous’ Future Water Plan 2060 in December 2020 by a number of councillors due to the environmental destruction it may mean for The Channon gorge, the cultural significance of Aboriginal sites in the area to be inundated and other social considerations.

The current plan is a mix of underground water sources plus water-saving strategies that would mostly tap on water sources from Alstonville, Tyagarah and Woodburn, among others.

Motions to bring it back to the plan were defeated a number of times, and after the vote on July 21, it cannot be discussed by Rous for the next three months.

Northern Rivers Nationals MLC Ben Franklin said to be ‘disgusted’ by the recent decision of Rous County Council to exclude the Dunoon Dam from consideration in its Future Water Project 2060 plan.

“For something as important as our region’s water needs to be decided on the whim of five local councillors is appalling,” Mr Franklin said.

“All options need to be on the table and considered by the experts – and the Dunoon Dam should be one of them,” he said.

The Dunoon dam project was originally rejected by Rous councillors in December 2020.

Mr Franklin said more than 10,000 submissions supporting further investigation of the Dam proposal were ignored.

“This gang of five have ignored the views of both professional staff and the broader community. This is both anti-democratic and a total abrogation of their responsibilities,” he said.

Liberal Northern Rivers MLC Catherine Cusack declined to comment. NSW Minister Pavey and Page MP Kevin Hogan were contacted for comment.