Annastacia Palaszczuk wades into row over water mining

The Palaszczuk government will consider reviewing a development application for water mining in drought-hit Queensland.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in Warwick on Monday. Picture: AAP

The Palaszczuk government will consider calling in a controversial development application that ­facilitated the commercial extraction of 96 million litres of groundwater from Queensland’s drought-hit Southern Downs.

In December, the local council approved a development application from Chinese-owned Royal Duke Holdings to build ­facilities to mine the water at Cherrabah Resort, near the town of Warwick, and send it to the Gold Coast for bottling.

The move has outraged landowners who fear it could damage the water table, despite a report suggesting otherwise.

Speaking in Warwick on Monday, where she announced a proposed route for a water pipeline from Toowoomba to Warwick, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she did not think it was appropriate for the company to bottle the water during the drought.

She said she would discuss the issue, including the possibility of calling in the development approval, with Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham when he returned from leave.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate at the moment in drought times to do that,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Asked whether the government would call in the development, the Premier said she would be “happy to talk to the relevant minister” about it.

“I think the minister is on leave at the moment, so as soon as they get back I’ll talk to them,” she said. In response to a severe water shortage in the nearby town of Stanthorpe, the state government is spending $800,000 a month to truck 1.3 million litres of water 75km from Connolly Dam, near Warwick, to a water treatment ­facility at Storm King Dam.

Residents have been urged to use just 80 litres per person a day.

Queensland’s Planning Act gives the Planning Minister permission to intervene in the decision-making process from a local government in relation to a development application.

The minister may “call in” a project to review it and their decision on an application is binding.

Mr Lynham does not have the power to call in a development application but he could refer the issue to Planning Minister Cameron Dick.

The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, which granted an increase in the water allocation from 50 megalitres a year to 96ML in 2011, has the ability to amend or cancel a water licence.

The council, which does not have the ability to regulate the water licence, approved the construction of storage tanks, a filter system and a shed on the property, subject to conditions, including sealing a service road.

Southern Downs mayor Tracy Dobie yesterday told The Australian that Cherrabah’s allocation was smaller than some others in the district and the water treatment facility was “very small”.

“There were no legitimate planning grounds to refuse this application,” she said.

“From a local government perspective, we play a very minor role in this.

“The landowner already has a licence. All we allow them to do is treat the water on their property.”

A report commissioned by the Cherrabah Resort owners found that the aquifer could sustainably support the abstraction of 96ML of water a year.

The report said the withdrawal would not affect local spring-fed creeks, which neighbouring farmers rely on to water their stock.

Last week, the resort’s Chinese owners told the council they would not bottle water during the drought and had pledged it to local farmers.