There is no alternative to the $1.3 billion Dungowan Dam, according to New England MP Barnaby Joyce, despite a development that rivals "Yes Minister" or the "Simpsons".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The former deputy prime minister backed a decision by the NSW government to reject alternatives like a pipeline from Keepit Dam, water recycling, or an "urban water reserve" in Chaffey Dam.
But with the new Labor government not committed to the project - which state estimates show has a return of just 27-cents-on-the-dollar - the project is at the risk of becoming a farce.
Mr Joyce said the existing dam isn't up to safety standards, raising the potential of a "$75 million pipeline to nowhere".
READ MORE:
"It's almost like something out of - it's not out of Yes Minister. Maybe the Simpsons?" he said.
"You've got a $75m pipeline to a dam that they don't know if they're going to build, a dam which could have to be decommissioned so it literally would be a pipeline to nowhere.
"They still have to build a new wall [for the project]. And that would give you exactly the same amount of water as you've got now. It sounds to me like a very bad idea."
The MP, long a supporter of the dam scheme, pointed out that the document, released last Thursday, doesn't detail what the $1.3 billion to be spent on the dam project will actually finance. It's more than the Commonwealth spent on the new federal parliament house in 1988, a figure he labeled "absolutely insane".
Even as responsible federal minister, he couldn't get a specific breakdown of costs, he said.
"I still can't get access. Nobody can tell us how they make up the money," he said.
"It's almost like they use the money as a reason you can't build the dam.
"Think up an extortionate amount of money and then double it, double it again and then that's the cost."
The project's long-secret business case reveals that the government believes the new dam would "significantly improve social outcomes" including "quality of life and climate resilience" and would have other economic benefits.
According to the business case the dam will guarantee a 50 per cent reduction in the time the city spends on water restrictions, hitting Level 5 water restrictions once every 50 years, instead of once every 20.
Minister Kevin Anderson told the Leader last week that the dam could be under construction by 2023, with appropriate planning approval.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookma rk northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on G oogle News