By Jeremy Sollars
A CRUCIAL State Government report into Stanthorpe’s water security remains under wraps despite being adopted last week by the Southern Downs Regional Council.
The Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS) has completed its Stanthorpe Regional Water Supply Security Assessment which is seen as the important next step in the Emu Swamp Dam investigations but will not release the report publicly until Minister Mark Bailey signs it off.
The report is understood to contain an overall assessment of Stanthorpe’s current and future water needs – both urban and agricultural – and a series of recommendations on future actions needed, including dam and other water storage options.
The Free Times asked both the council and the department to view a copy of the report but was refused due to the minister having yet to give it his tick, which could be more than a month away.
Councillors at their September meeting last week voted in favour of adopting the report – with the exception of Stanthorpe’s Vic Pennisi, who has been a long and outspoken supporter of the Emu Swamp Dam proposal.
Cr Pennisi was staying tight-lipped about his reasons for voting against the report’s adoption, saying his ‘no’ vote was “just procedural”.
He said it was his view that council should never adopt reports, but rather should only receive and note them, “as you tend to be locked in”.
Cr Pennisi would not be drawn when asked by the Free Times if the contents of the report were detrimental to the Emu Swamp Dam proposal and said he could not comment further “until the Minister signs off on it”.
DEWS has completed similar water assessments for other towns and regions across Queensland – including Cairns, Townsville, the Whitsundays and South East Queensland – and has started work on one for Warwick.
The department has previously said the assessments take around six months to complete, in close consultation with local councils.
