LOBBYISTS pushing for a Big Buffalo dam have vowed to keep on fighting despite the plan failing to make a federal government priority list.
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Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce yesterday unveiled what could be the nation’s biggest dam building program in decades.
Twenty-seven water projects were listed, but Big Buffalo was noticeably missing.
Big Buffalo lobby group member Tiff Rayner said this was “bitterly disappointing”, but it was not the end of the matter.
The Big Buffalo project would involve expanding Lake Buffalo, near Myrtleford, into a million megalitre dam.
The listing of projects — both dams and irrigation — on the government’s Agricultural Competitiveness green paper, does not mean a guarantee of government funding.
The paper said that was because some might not be feasible, or might require co-investment by the states or private interests.
Mr Rayner said Big Buffalo’s omission took him by surprise.
“I can honestly say that our lobby group is bitterly disappointed that this project is not included in the proposed dam strategy that’s been released today,” he said.
But Mr Rayner said the fact that all the projects listed proposals, gave him some heart.
“We just hope that the release of this may prompt some further movement from some politicians we’ve lobbied in the past to help us,” he said.
The green paper identifies six irrigation projects in Tasmania and Victoria’s Gippsland region.
The list includes potential dams and water projects in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
Mr Rayner said his group’s next step might involve going through the Coalition parties directly after failing to convince Indi independent MP Cathy McGowan.
The group took Ms McGowan on a tour of the Lake Buffalo area in March, but she later said the project was unlikely given it did not fit within the parameters of the Murray-Darling Basin agreement.
The group’s big aim now is to secure a meeting with Mr Joyce, who will host discussions next week to discuss issues from the paper — including water infrastructure.
“We as a lobby group — and there’s only three of us — have worked for 15 years to try to get this started,” Mr Rayner said.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt visited the dam when he was in opposition.
“Our argument has always been that this is a half-finished project,” Mr Rayner said.
“All the land was acquired 60 years ago, it’s sitting there waiting to be filled.”
