Bligh sorry for Traveston Dam 'pain'

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QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has apologised to residents of MaryValley for their suffering over the failed Traveston Crossing Dam.

Thefederal government on Wednesday scuttled plans to dam the Mary Rivernear Gympie, north of Brisbane, because evidence showed it could killoff endangered species.

Following the interim decision to rejectthe controversial $1.8 billion dam, the federal government will now beasked to help fund two desalination plants - the state's costly back-upplan.

Mary Valley residents have accused the Queenslandgovernment of tearing their community apart in its purchase ofproperties and preliminary work on the dam.

"I'm very sorry that they have had to endure this sort of pain," Ms Bligh told ABC Radio.

"ButI'm equally committed to my responsibilities as premier ... to look forwater, to investigate it thoroughly, to do all the environmentalassessments and present the science to the federal government.

"We had to do it properly and we did."

ResourcesMinister Stephen Robertson told state parliament on Thursday he wouldwrite to federal Water Minister Penny Wong, asking her government tohelp fund desalination plants at Lytton, in bayside Brisbane, andMarcoola, on the Sunshine Coast, which will be needed by 2017.

"It is not fair for southeast Queenslanders to pay for yesterday's decision with more water price rises," Mr Robertson said.

Healso trashed the opposition's policy to raise the Borumba Dam, which ison a tributary of the Mary River, saying it would be subject to thesame environmental assessments as the Traveston Dam.

A leading dam opponent, Darryl Stewart, said the government must help rebuild the community it had "torn apart".

With calls for her to resign over the dam's failure, there is growing pressure on the premier's leadership.

MsBligh's popularity was already at an all-time low of 30 per cent beforethe dam decision - mainly because of her plan to sell some state-ownedassets - with unions and her own Labor branch abandoning her.

LiberalNational Party (LNP) MP for Gympie, David Gibson, said the MaryValley's endangered species were now secure, but the premier'sleadership was not.

"(With) the rate at which her Labor mates arenow distancing themselves from her, the single most endangered speciesin Queensland is Anna Bligh's leadership," Mr Gibson said.

But Ms Bligh said she was confident she would take Labor to the next election.

"Whenthese sorts of big decisions happen and when they sometimes take peopleby surprise I don't think it's surprising to get that sort of, um,chat," she said.

She also got the backing of her deputy PaulLucas, and Treasurer Andrew Fraser, who ruled out a challenge, and hada message for any of his colleagues contemplating one.

"Everyoneknows that in the Labor party we were born of the concept of teamwork... they should re-visit the original reasons that they joined theLabor party," Mr Fraser said.

The government has already spentalmost $600 million on the dam, mainly in land acquisitions, and willsoon begin negotiating with Mary Valley residents who want to buy backtheir homes.

It could keep other properties for up to 10 years to ensure a good return for taxpayers.

Thegovernment's community futures taskforce leader Major General PeterArnison will continue his role supporting the community until June nextyear, instead of the year's end.

So what's next? What do you think? Leave your comments below...

Read the story, read the transcript, and watch a video of Garrett's announcement: Garrett rejects Traveston Dam

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