Former Qld premier Peter Beattie launches spray over Paradise Dam, water failures

Peter Beattie has blasted the Queensland government for using him as a deflection for its failings in what is his most striking intervention in politics in 16 years.

• War of words: ‘Petulant blame game’
• The apology: ‘Greatest infrastructure fail’

Peter Beattie has demanded an end to “silly politics” and for Water Minister Glenn Butcher to focus on his job amid an unprecedented public spat over significant failings at Paradise Dam.

In arguably his most striking intervention in politics since leaving office in September 2007, Mr Beattie accused the government of using him as a “deflection” following major problems with Bundaberg’s 300,000 megalitre Paradise Dam – built by his government two decades ago.

The former premier on Thursday apologised for the poorly-built dam wall but questioned why the state had taken four years to realise it was beyond repair – a comment which on Friday drew the ire of Mr Butcher.

“One of the sad things about his comments is asking us why it took so long to find out that he built the failed dam … SunWater doing international and Australian expertise in the concrete industry – found out that this dam has concrete levels in it that is so low that it is now not safe to rebuild it,” he said.

“This takes time.”

Former premier Peter Beattie at Paradise Dam.

It prompted Mr Beattie to hit back with an unprecedented spray.

“He can be disappointed all he likes,” Mr Beattie said.

“What Glenn Butcher, or whatever his name is, needs to focus on is his job – don’t worry about me.

“I haven’t been in government for 16 years … why did it take so long?

“The reality is, it’s 2024 and this dam was opened in 2006.

“If there’s some deflection going on, I’m happy to be the scapegoat.”

The former Premier has repeatedly declined to comment on Queensland politics since his retirement and insisted he would have remained quiet on Paradise Dam before first-term MP Tom Smith demanded his apology.

“I think he was about 16 or so at the time,” Mr Beattie said.

“It gets to the stage, it’s a bit farcical.”

Peter Beattie says politicians need to unite to secure Queensland’s future water supply.

Mr Beattie used his rare intervention to call on the current crop of politicians to unite and deliver “desperately needed” policy to secure Queensland’s future water supply.

“Look at what my government did and build on it, the bones of it are there,” he said.

“Queensland has got the Olympic Games coming, a huge surge of population to the southeast from Sydney as Sydney becomes more unaffordable … Queensland is going to end up with more people and they need water.

“We play a lot of silly politics about water, you’ve got to get some common sense about it.”

Mr Beattie noted while his government built the southeast Queensland water grid, a “concoction of political opponents” joined forces to scuttle his proposal to build Traveston Dam in the late 2000s.

Water Minister Glenn Butcher. Picture: Cameron Bates

He is now questioning what Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will determine when the application for Paradise Dam’s new wall 70m downstream from the failing one is lodged.

“We need to have a clear strategy, part of that has to be the construction of dams,” he said.

“The issue is, will the federal government give approval or will they do a Traveston Dam?”

Premier Steven Miles welcomed Mr Beattie’s apology and said the government was working to fix the dam.

“Peter has always been the kind of leader who takes responsibility for the actions and decisions that he was a part of,” Mr Miles said.

“We have a business case underway doing planning work to identify how a new dam wall can be safely built and I think it’s important to remember that these are very, very long-term decisions so a new dam wall in this case will serve us and the community there for something like 100 years. So it’s really important to get it right.”

Originally published as Former Qld premier Peter Beattie launches spray over Paradise Dam, water failures