Tony Abbott's bold water plan

[nero_bolt]

Excellent discussion paper and hopefully thanks to his forward thinking this may come off when he is our next PM

Tony Abbott's bold water plan 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/tony-abbotts-bold-water-plan-leaked/story-e6freuy9-1226577466336 

 Up to 100 dams could be built across the country to prevent floods, fuel power stations and irrigate a food boom to feed 120 million people across the Asia Pacific region, under plans being considered by Opposition leader Tony Abbott.

In the second high-level policy leak in a week, The Daily Telegraph has obtained a copy of the Coalition's draft policy discussion paper for water management of Australia.

Included in the list of dam projects, which the Coalition will consider, is a $500 million plan to raise Warragamba Dam in Sydney, and new dams for NSW in the Hunter Valley, Central Highlands and along the Lachlan River.

The last major new dam built in NSW was Splitrock - in northern NSW in 1987.

The majority of the dams would be in northern Australia, where they would be used to irrigate arid zones for agriculture and more than double Australia's food production.

Claiming the environmental lobby had been to blame for the lack of new water infrastructure, the report from the Coalition's water taskforce endorses a major dam-building program to "help feed 120 million people and beyond over the coming decades".

The total cost of the water plan, if all projects were approved, would be $30 billion - and would be funded by a mix of public and private sector finance.

The document was written by a Coalition taskforce chaired by shadow finance minister Andrew Robb and deputy chair Barnaby Joyce, shadow environment minister Greg Hunt, spokesman on northern Australia Ian MacDonald, spokesman on the Murray Darling Simon Birmingham and Senator Bill Heffernan.Attached to the document is a list of 100 dams across the nation the Coalition has identified as potential projects. The document explicitly states the Coalition does not necessarily endorse all the projects.

One of the projects involves transporting water from the Kimberley region, 1500km to Perth, using canals, pipelines and ocean super tankers or large synthetic bags towed behind tug boats.

The document clearly favours many of the projects, including those identified as flood-mitigation measures, and larger projects that would be used to irrigate a new food bowl in the Top End.

The draft paper claims a final Coalition policy on dams and water management will be released in early 2013.

Mr Robb, in a foreword to the document, claimed: "We have identified more than 100 dams and water management proposals.

A Coalition government will not support the construction of dams for the simple sake of building dams, however, it will back projects that bring demonstrable community benefits.

"Many opportunities to pursue projects that would enhance water security, help to mitigate floods, provide hydro power, and perhaps most importantly to grow our economic prosperity while being sensitive to the environment, have been missed."

Build our nation, dam the protests

Full story here http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/build-our-nation-dam-the-protests/story-e6frezz0-1226577372303 

ONLY a few years ago, climate experts warned that Sydney and other Australian capitals were in serious danger of running out of water. Then the nation's extended drought finally ended and most dams were restored to peak (and sometimes overflowing) levels. But the fact remains that drought is an Australian constant, and is bound to once again have an impact on our towns and cities.

The Coalition's draft policy on dams, which investigates the possibility of constructing up to 100 new dams across Australia and expanding existing dams, is a sensible and long-overdue measure to address Australia's climate issues. Dams also provide clean energy, flood protection and irrigation, yet have fallen out of favour due to opposition from militant environmentalists.

Predictably, militants will again ramp their anti-dam hysteria following revelations of the Coalition's policy. The time has come to cease indulging those who at every step seek to impede Australian progress.

Besides, dams tick practically every box on a sensible environmentalist's wish list: they use natural resources, they don't pollute and they don't contribute to Australia's greenhouse emissions.

They also generate many jobs, especially in construction. Regional areas could be revitalised by dam building, and our agricultural sector be boosted by the security of additional water sources.

There is yet another reason to support renewed dam construction, and it goes far beyond narrow local concerns.

Millions around the world suffer chronic food shortages. A dam-fuelled Australia could help meet ever-increasing world food needs. If you don't care about the global population, you truly don't give a dam.

[nero_bolt]

Coalition coup. Even Rudd likes a plan to develop the North

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/andrewbolt/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/coalition_coup_even_rudd_likes_a_plan_to_develop_the_north/

It would seem that the greens are already screaming.... Must be a good plan if they (the greens)  are carrying on as they are anti development and progress... Just look at our basket case Tasmania... the green experiment has worked well there hasnt it..... NOT.... 

Tony and the libs may be onto something 🙂

[lakeland27]

:^O the best part was floating gigantic plastic bags full down the coast to the drier places.

'we need a bold sounding idea'  uncosted of course .. estimates in the hundreds of billions . good try fella's (and ladies of course)

[just_me_karen]

:^O plastic bags of water!

haha OP did you miss the hilarity in question time today?

To use dams for flood control, they have to be mostly empty.

To use dams for water, they have to be mostly full.

To use dams for power, they have to be flowing,

What a typical pie in the sky, ridiculous policy. Nobody wants those incompetents to run the country, they can't even get the kindergarten plans right!

[topsidesoul]

Plan has been floated for years and found not to be viable.

When you can explain where the money comes from, I'm all ears..

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/to-dam-or-not-to-dam-in-australia.htm

[topsidesoul]

Maybe they can dam the Murray?

Oh thats right, the Murray River is already damned.

[nero_bolt]

So sad to watch the bitterness and blind hatred of Abbott and the libs grow and fester within you Karen. Its  expected from the other person but  I though you would have had at least some understanding of a discussion paper considering your political background and past employment Karen.  Apparently I was wrong

Karen its a white paper only, you know  ideas for discussion and suggestions to water proof this country but I guess you prefer no water in your world and no food or jobs.... 

[lakeland27]

 you are so funny sometimes NW. i needed a laugh. 🙂

[just_me_karen]

Yeah that's why I'm discussing it... I like talking about hilarious thing such as full/empty/flowing dams :^O Maybe if the water levels drop, they can fish some of those plastic bags out of the sea and truck them, to the nearest dam lol

Nero, what should tony do about that Barrier Reef? It's going to puncture the plastic bags 😞 What a pest it is.

[i-need-a-martini]

So first of all it isn't Abbott's plan. It is a plan going before the Coalition written by a taskforce. That moment it landed on his desk is probably the first time he saw it.

Second of all, it's the same old idea that has never gained any ground for a tribe of sound reasons.

But most important of all (and I say "most" important because if this was a a Labor idea the Lib-Lovers would be wetting themselves in excitement in order to be the first person to ask): 

WHERE. IS. THE. MONEY. COMING. FROM. ????

B-)