Local Nationals MLC Ben Franklin today added his voice to the growing chorus of dissatisfaction with the recent decision of Rous County Council to exclude Dunoon Dam from consideration in its Future Water Project 2060 plan.
“For something as important as our region’s water needs to be decided on the whim of five local councillors is appalling,” Mr Franklin said.
“All options need to be on the table and considered by the experts – and the Dunoon Dam should be one of them,” he said.
“Of course there are important issues that will need to be seriously considered and addressed during that process – particularly relating to the concerns of local First Nations people – but for the proposed Dam to be dropped as an option before thorough and expert investigation is utterly negligent and a betrayal of the communities these Councillors were elected to represent,” he said.
The decision was taken despite the recommendation of Rous County Council staff to complete the feasibility investigations into the Dam. The views of over 11,000 people supporting further investigation of the Dam proposal were also ignored.
“The Chairman of Rous County Council stated that feedback to the plan was the largest number of responses ever received on a single project or issue. For it to be disregarded is shocking,” Mr Franklin said.
“This gang of five have ignored the views of both professional staff and the broader community. This is both anti-democratic and a total abrogation of their responsibilities,” he said.
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