Australia, the driest inhabited continent in the world, has 70% of its landmass characterized as either arid or semi-arid with average rainfalls from as little as 250mm.  However rainfall in some areas of northern Australia can average as high as 4,000mm in places such as Tully; an extraordinary contrast to the arid and semi-arid areas.

Agricultural businesses, including crops, grazing and forestry operate across more than 50% of Australia’s land mass and this includes arid and semi-arid areas.  Queensland has the largest allocation of grazing land.

In 2000 we had 4.26ML of dam storage for every person.  In 2019 this decreased to 3.2ML and at this rate by 2030, dam storage will reduce further to just 2.7ML per person.  Dam and pipeline infrastructure, which is needed to capture water from exceptional rainfall areas to re-route to agricultural businesses and low-rainfall towns, is clearly not keeping pace with population growth.

The lack of government vision on water security has undoubtedly damaged Australia’s long-term productive capacity, creates undue stress on regional towns and hefty expenses for state governments to truck water.  There is an increasing lack of confidence from councils and farmers to invest further in agricultural production, along with uncertainty of being able to maintain current agricultural businesses. Water restrictions caused by shortages and wasteful and damaging environmental watering is destroying family farms and communities. This allows corporate agriculture to move in and buy our land, with little return to our rural communities.

Australia will always need dams and building them with a hydroelectric component is the most cost-effective way to provide cheap energy to surrounding towns and businesses.

Senator Roberts is committed to working with the Queensland state government to build dams and weirs for drinking water, irrigation and science-based environmental watering.

Build the Dams

100’s of proposed dams are sitting in filing cabinets gathering dust, blocked by environmental activists and politicians who just don’t want to build them.

The time for study after study is over. What we need is decisive action and leadership. Build the dams today so our children won’t have to suffer tomorrow.

Recent Water Articles

Capture the Northern Floods, Pipe Them to Drought Areas

Malcolm has campaigned to begin construction of a Hybrid-Bradfield scheme. The aims of a Hybrid-Bradfield Scheme are to:

• Build dams, pipelines and water storage capacity across the country but especially in Northern Queensland;
• Capture, in those storages, the huge amounts of tropical rainfall in Northern Queensland that currently flows out to sea as floodwater;
• When needed, pipe the captured floodwater from Northern Queensland to drought affected areas through the system of connected pipelines and water storages.

One Nation moved a motion on this in the senate but was voted down.

Hybrid Bradfield Articles