{"id":249275,"date":"2019-11-29T16:02:14","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T06:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=249275"},"modified":"2019-11-29T16:13:02","modified_gmt":"2019-11-29T06:13:02","slug":"ex-judge-to-head-dam-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/11\/29\/ex-judge-to-head-dam-inquiry\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Judge To Head Dam Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

November 29, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

An independent inquiry will be held into Paradise Dam following the release on Friday of technical reports which describe structural problems with the dam.<\/p>\n

Retired Supreme Court judge John Byrne will head the inquiry but the terms of reference have not yet been released.<\/p>\n

The move follows repeated calls by Opposition MPs for an inquiry into the controversial dam and the launch of an E-petition by Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey which had attracted 2940 signatures by Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government has been listening to the Bundaberg community,\u201d Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know they have questions, as we have questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cJustice Byrne\u2019s inquiry will take public submissions and the terms of reference will be released next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Sunwater will continue works to deal with issues detailed in the technical reports.<\/p>\n

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said Labor had been “dragged kicking and screaming” to hold the inquiry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Wide Bay have been in the dark for months over the safety of the dam and why it had to be drained to a staggering 42 per cent in the middle of a drought,” Mrs Frecklington said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLabor\u2019s handling of this issue has been a debacle and it\u2019s destroyed all trust in the Palaszczuk Labor Government in Wide Bay.”<\/p>\n

Dr Lynham said the technical reports confirmed stability issues with the dam in the event of an extreme weather event such as the 2013 cyclone and flood.<\/p>\n

The technical reports published on Sunwater\u2019s website today show:<\/strong><\/p>\n