Paradise Dam uncertainty puts multibillion-dollar ag industry at risk

Rumblings about the Paradise Dam fiasco are growing louder, as generations of farmers gathered in Bundaberg to demand answers and water security for the region’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry.

Key farming representatives and Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey have called on the state government and SunWater to secure the region’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry and be frank about the timeline for rebuilding Paradise Dam.

Water Minister Glenn Butcher held a press event in Bundaberg with SunWater CEO Glenn Stockton on January 11, to announce work on the damaged dam would be halted, with plans now to build a new dam wall 70m downstream.

Canegrowers senior vice chair Mark Mammino said the news came as a shock to Bundaberg Burnett irrigators.

“There are so many questions that need to be answered, like why has it taken four years for the government and SunWater to discover this ?

“It’s two years since the state and federal governments made a big song and dance about jointly funding the $1.2 billion restoration project,” he said.

Several generations of Bundaberg farmers are calling on commitments to the future of water security in the region. From left: Joe Russo, Enzo Russo, Mark Plath, Jayden Van Rooyen and Judy Plath.

Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey called on the Water Minister to address the reports that initially labelled the dam wall stable.

“In 2020, an independent engineering report commissioned by SunWater asserted that the dam is stable,” he said in a letter addressed to Mr Butcher.

“This conflicting information raises questions about the current situation and prompts us to consider the credibility of the aforementioned report.”

Mr Dempsey called on Mr Butcher to make the engineering reports accessible to the public, and for SunWater to commit to water security for the region.

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers CEO Bree Watson.

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers CEO Bree Watson echoed that call, saying farmers don’t want the future of water security to be used as a political football.

“We’ve had good rain but we need a dam that has a full 300,000 megalitre capacity, so that we can capture this rain when we get it because we know this region can go through dry spells very, very quickly,” she said.

Ms Watson said as CEO of a peak agricultural body, she held concerns for the 8000 jobs in the region directly tied to farming, and the tens of thousands of jobs indirectly tied to the financial security of a region built on agriculture.

“We’ve got indirect jobs at risk because farmers are losing confidence in the region and that will have a massive impact to the local economy,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to so many farmers over the past week, and one after another they are saying ‘what an absolute waste of time and waste of dollars’.”

“It’s just absolutely devastating for an industry that is already on its knees, that is facing challenges with rising input costs.”

Bundaberg grower Craig Van Rooyen agreed that recent insecurity limited future investment in the region, and said when Paradise Dam was initially announced in the early 2000s he invested millions into crop expansion to employ hundreds of locals.

“Without that water, local people lose their jobs. That’s it,” he said.

On Monday, January 15, farming advocate Judy Plath said growers were concerned over future water availability, calling for legislation to prevent SunWater from selling future allocations from an already lowered dam.

Bundaberg orchardist Craig Van Rooyen is one of the largest horticulturalists in the Bundaberg region. Photo: Mike Knott/NewsMail

“We are calling for the Miles government to put in legislation that not one drop will be sold from Paradise Dam until it is restored to its full height,” she said.

She said she believed the government and SunWater were avoiding offering a firm timeline on the redevelopment out of fear they may fall short, leaving themselves at risk of condemnation from an agricultural industry fast losing its patience.

She cited 2022 SunWater reports which she claimed provided evidence that the water provider had already undertaken “confidential” discussions to sell off future allocations.

“Secret meetings do not fill farmers with confidence that SunWater has our best interests at heart,” she said.

Farmer Joe Russo backed calls for a firm timeline on the redevelopment and legislative assurances, saying the security of the dam had been a “dark cloud” hanging over farmers.

With his grandson standing behind him, Mr Russo said assurances were necessary not just for dry seasons, but for succession planning.

“We want something binding that give us an opportunity so we know that there is going to be a future,” he said.

“We’ve got children coming up and to invest heavily to get one bad year it can knock you, so we need water and virtually what we’ve got is just very good luck with rainfall events that have carried us through.”

Ms Watson said another concern for farmers was the limitations on future expansion due the inability to access and secure new water allocations.

Childers’ farmer Judy Plath said she doesn't believe she will see the new Paradise Dam built in her lifetime.

“If you buy a block of land now, and if it doesn’t come with water allocations, and if your neighbour isn’t willing to sell you anything, you can’t purchase water out of the dam,” she said.

‘The longer they drag this out, the longer it is that we can’t access new water allocations.”
This concern was mirrored by Bundaberg Labor MP Tom Smith who met with farmers on Monday to hear their calls for legislation.

According to Mr Smith, previous efforts in 2022 by SunWater to consider selling water was met with firm contention among local growers, and any efforts to sell water from Paradise Dam required approval.

He discussed the Water Act of 2000 which binds SunWater to quarantine unsold water from the dam, a commitment which was put to the test in 2022 and held firm.

“I can confirm today that I’ve spoken to Minister Butcher and Cameron Milliner from SunWater that that regulation – which is bound by legislation – is still in act and is still committed and that no water will be sold from that quarantine without consultation and acceptance from growers.”

“My concern that if our region had an opportunity where our growers may wish to expand … and there’s not an opportunity to watershed further for the purchase water allocation, growers may wish to engage with purchasing more of the water that is quarantined.

“If there is legislation blocking that the only way that could be overcome is for parliament to reconvene and go through the legislation once again.”

Originally published as Paradise Dam uncertainty puts multibillion-dollar ag industry at risk