{"id":352764,"date":"2024-09-13T19:18:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T09:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=352764"},"modified":"2024-09-13T19:24:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T09:24:15","slug":"trc-pleads-for-dams-fairness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/09\/13\/trc-pleads-for-dams-fairness\/","title":{"rendered":"TRC Pleads For Dams ‘Fairness’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff (Photo: TRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

September 13, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

The State Government has been urged to treat ratepayers fairly when it comes to paying for compulsory dam safety upgrades.<\/p>\n

Toowoomba Regional Council and the South Burnett Regional Council are among more than a dozen Queensland councils ordered to upgrade dams to comply with the law.<\/p>\n

The projects, designed to counter worst-case scenario safety issues, are blowing big holes in Council budgets which will have to be paid for by ratepayers.<\/p>\n

In the South Burnett, preliminary estimates for the cost of the compulsory upgrade of Gordonbrook Dam are about $20 million, but this figure could rise.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The upgrade will not supply one extra drop of water to the local supply or improve water quality.<\/p>\n

Toowoomba Regional Council is facing a $270 million bill for its compulsory upgrade of Cressbrook Dam.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ironically, this upgrade – paid for by Toowoomba ratepayers – appears mostly to benefit residents in Somerset Shire.<\/p>\n

Speaking at Tuesday’s TRC Council meeting, Toowoomba Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff said ratepayers in the affected Councils would be “paying twice” for dam upgrades,<\/p>\n

She pointed out that Seqwater had been ordered to upgrade Somerset and Wivenhoe dams at a cost of about $6 billion.<\/p>\n

As this was a Queensland statutory authority, the cost would be covered by Queensland taxpayers.<\/p>\n

“Here\u2019s where fairness comes into it,” Deputy Mayor Vonhoff said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Ratepayers and taxpayers are the same person.<\/p>\n

“So if taxpayers are going to subsidise the upgrades for people drinking water in south-east Queensland, are they going to help people in Toowoomba region or Cairns or Isaac or Mackay or Southern Downs etc pay for theirs?<\/p>\n

“We haven\u2019t heard yes or no yet from Queensland Government.”<\/p>\n

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