Fed: States rebuff federal plan to pipe water from NSW to Qld

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2007
Fed: States rebuff federal plan to pipe water from NSW to Qld

CANBERRA, April 13 AAP - A federal government plan to pipe water from NSW to drought-stricken
Queensland has been rebuffed by the premiers of both states.

Four out of five options to ease water shortages involve damming northern NSW's Clarence
River and piping it to the Logan River north of the border.

The report released by federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull comes only days
after level five water restrictions took effect in south-east Queensland.

Prime Minister John Howard urged the state governments to forget about borders and
think nationally about solving problems.

But NSW Premier Morris Iemma rejected the idea and even Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
was luke-warm about a proposal on which he wasn't consulted.

Mr Iemma said industries and jobs in northern NSW supported by the Clarence River would
be hurt by having its water siphoned.

Mr Beattie said the proposal was a result of federal election politics.

The Queensland government would instead press ahead with construction of the proposed
$1.7 billion Traveston Crossing Dam, near Gympie.

AAP pw/it/

KEYWORD: WATER QLD DAYLEAD

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