Paradise Dam restored, but farmers’ legal action will go ahead

Farmers will continue with a class action against the Queensland government over the reduction in the capacity of Paradise Dam, despite plans to fully rebuild it.

Farmers will continue with a class action against the Queensland government over the reduction in the capacity of the Paradise Dam, despite plans to rebuild it to its original size.

In welcome news for farmers in the fruit and vegetable growing region around Bundaberg, 360km north of Brisbane, the state government on Friday announced that it would rebuild the dam wall to full capacity.

The dam’s carrying capacity of 300,000 megalitres was reduced by about 42 per cent two years ago after structural problems were discovered in the 15-year-old wall.

After years of drought, the sight last month of water pouring over the reduced spillway was distressing for farmers, whose water allocations were reduced in July to 22 per cent.

Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher said the rebuild would not begin until 2024, following a detailed design phase.

Mr Butcher said the cost of the repairs, which had previously been estimated at $700m, would not be known until the design process was completed.

However, he promised that growers in the Bundaberg region would not bear the cost, which would be met by state and federal governments.

The size of the contribution from each level of government would still need to be determined, Mr Butcher said, setting the scene for it to become an issue at the federal election.

Macadamia grower Michael McMahon said the announcement that the dam would be rebuilt was a relief, but he, like many others, was banking on it being completed quickly

His decision in 2018, prior to the dam’s size reduction, to plant 75,000 macadamia trees is relying on the promised water allocations.

“It’ll probably take two or three dry seasons to complete the (dam) works and it doesn’t just automatically fill once you finish work on it,” Mr McMahon said.

“I don’t know why it will take two years to make it a shovel-ready project. One of the key factors in us buying land here and planting macadamias was water security, so we’re relying on that.”

The class action against the state government and its entity Sunwater, which is being led by Bundaberg-based Marland Law, will proceed in a bid to compensate farmers who have lost produce because of significantly reduced water allocations.

“Farmers in this region have spent millions of dollars already in mitigation strategies and re-equipping old equipment or building new structures,” Marland Law client liaison Judy Plath said.

“But we’ve also had people decide not to plant crops because they didn’t know how much water they’re going to have. The class action is also focused on trying to measure the crop losses that will occur in the future because the dam is now basically half its original size.”

Bundaberg Regional Irrigators Group director Dale Holliss welcomed the government’s decision but said the existing water entitlements for farmers needed to be safeguarded.

Queensland Farmers Federation chief executive Georgina Davis said the Bundaberg region had untapped agricultural and economic development potential that depended on reliable water supply. “QFF has always supported community safety and has been calling on the government to reinstate the dam’s full capacity, as well as to investigate the water security of the system,” Dr Davis said.

Opposition dams spokeswoman Deb Frecklington said she “cautiously welcomed” the government’s announcement.

“The devil will be in detail and we are yet to see how the restoration of Paradise Dam will be funded, or the time frame,” Ms Frecklington said.