Beattie apologises as dam debacle labelled ‘greatest infrastructure fail’

Peter Beattie has apologised for significant failures in the construction of Paradise Dam but lashed out at the government delays in repairing it, at significant cost to taxpayers.

The entire Paradise Dam wall will need to be rebuilt.

• War of words over dam debacle

Peter Beattie has apologised for significant failures in the construction of Paradise Dam, but lashed out at the government for delays in repairing it.

The former premier, whose government built the dam 20 years ago, told The Courier-Mail he took full responsibility for the construction failure, which will now result in the dam’s wall being completely rebuilt.

Mr Beattie noted he retired more than 16 years ago, and questioned why the state had taken so long to decide to rebuild the wall.

“For the life of me I can’t understand why it has taken so long to determine that this dam needed to be replaced,” he said.

“If the problems were identified years ago, why has there been such a delay?

“I have been out of government since (Member for Bundaberg) Tom Smith MP was 17 years old, and I have not been involved in governmental matters since then.

“My relevant minister, Tom Barton, is now deceased, so I am unable to discuss the construction with him.

“I am concerned to ensure Queenslanders know what was wrong with the construction material and the method and if that has been established, what is being done to ensure it never happens again.

Former premier Peter Beattie

“This is particularly important for the construction of the new dam.”

Mr Beattie said his government was the last Queensland government to build dams, and did so against considerable opposition.

“On behalf of my government I accept full political responsibility for building the dam and looking after Queensland farmers,” he said.

“For the problems with the dam, I apologise to the local farmers and community.

“The buck stops with me and I have never run away from my responsibilities.”

The state government won’t say how much Paradise Dam will cost to rebuild or when it will be completed.

Water Minister Glenn Butcher and Sunwater chief executive Glenn Stockton visited Bundaberg on Thursday to reveal the 20-year-old Paradise Dam wall was too badly damaged to be repaired, with a new wall needing to be built downstream before the dam could return to its full, pre-2020 capacity.

Building a new dam wall is expected to add significant cost to the already four-year, $1.2bn project, but the government said the new price and project timeline was not yet known.

Opposition water and construction of dams spokeswoman Deb Frecklington said the project was perhaps the greatest public infrastructure “fail” in Australian history.

“Nearly two decades on from building Paradise Dam, Labor has now spent half a decade ducking and weaving on the dam’s condition,” she said.

Ms Frecklington said the government had pulled the wool over the eyes of Queenslanders for four years about the state of the dam and progress to repair it.

“The money wasted by Labor is unfathomable for Queenslanders doing it tough, and farmers crying out for the water security they need in one of our state’s most critical food bowls,” she said.

Judy Plath

Glenn Butcher

Asked why the decision to completely rebuild the dam wall had taken more than a decade since the damage was first recorded, and near four years since the latest works started, Mr Stockton said the results of ongoing tests only revealed the structural failure in 2023.

“Roller compacted concrete is not the issue here, it’s the technique in which it was delivered and placed and the quality controls that were utilised during the process,” he said.

Mr Butcher said the deterioration of the roller concrete wall was a world first.

“There’s not too many dams in the world that have these issues with the concrete that we’re seeing at Paradise Dam,” he said.

Earlier, first-term Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said the current government had “inherited” the dam from former Labor premier, Mr Beattie.

“I think that Peter Beattie owes a personal apology to the people of Bundaberg and I would welcome that apology,” he said.

The government has recommitted to reinstate the dam to its full capacity, however years of delays has prompted scepticism among some residents.

Farming advocate Judy Plath believes she will not see the new dam built in her lifetime.

“I have very little confidence that a new dam will receive approval from the state or federal government,” she said.

Ms Plath believes environmental push back will delay any works and declared someone should be held accountable.

Mr Stockton said the current safety of the lowered dam would not put the 60,000 residents living downriver at risk.

Originally published as Beattie apologises as dam debacle labelled ‘greatest infrastructure fail’