No doubts about crooked politicians

 There is never any shortage of examples of stupidity from politicians, but a special case is the federal government’s announcement of a cynical election splurge aimed at buying votes. It says that, if elected, It  will spend $5.4bn to build the Hells Gates Dam in north Queensland. The dam has no business case, no environmental approvals, and  experts say it will threaten the long-term health of the Great Barrier Reef. The prime minister, Scott Morrison announced that his government will build the 2,100 gigalitre dam – about four times the size of Sydney Harbour – that could potentially support 60,000ha of new land for irrigated agriculture.


A business case cannot be completed until after the federal election. The government has said the funding is guaranteed.

Earlier feasibility studies prompted serious questions about the project’s claimed economic benefit.

Hells Gates has no environmental impact statement, and no environmental approvals. Local landholders and academics say an expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Burdekin Basin poses a threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

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