Interview with ABC Wide Bay’s David Dowsett
Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett has called for an immediate halt to the tearing down of the Paradise Dam wall after the Commission of Inquiry’s report into the dam recommended that further testing be completed.
“The report states that the former Labor Government charged with constructing the dam failed in its basic responsibility to ensure a proper and adequate build,” he said.
“The report highlights issues around the project’s management, materials and methods which make for sobering reading.
“The lack of proper peer revision was cited as a major example of the failed construction process. The construction project was flawed from the top down.
“It is time for Labor to abandon its plan to spend $100 million tearing down the wall when clearly more testing is urgently needed.”
In response to the findings of the investigation, the LNP has committed to working with experts, including Dr Paul Rizzo, to fix Paradise Dam.
An LNP Government will:
- Implement the testing regime recommended by Dr Rizzo.
- Direct Sunwater to work with Dr Rizzo on the design of the stabilisers – recognising the expert experience Dr Rizzo has in stabilising the Bagnell Dam in Missouri USA, which impounds Lake of the Ozarks, the largest man-made lake in the USA.
- Expand the Commission of Inquiry into the construction of the dam to investigate missing documents, design issues and the apron fault.
The Commission of Inquiry report can be downloaded at: https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/tableOffice/TabledPapers/2020/5620T801.pdf