Queensland Water Infrastructure

Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd (QWI) "was established by the Queensland Government in June 2006 to progress the feasibility and potential design and construction of several major water infrastructure projects in South East Queensland. These projects are part of the State Government's plan to secure future water supplies until 2050, they include:"


 * Traveston Crossing Dam on the Mary River
 * Wyaralong Dam on the Teviot Brook in the Logan River catchment
 * Cedar Grove Weir on the Logan River
 * Bromelton Offstream Storage adjacent to the Logan River

According to a QWI from April 2008, "QWI has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Griffith University to ensure world-class environmental knowledge is on hand in developing its major infrastructure projects."

QWI and Sustainable Public Relations
Rob Hales (2008) notes that: The recent article that appeared in the Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd (QWI) fact sheet number 8 – April 2008, made the point of linking QWI with Griffith University's Forestry and Horticulture Research Centre as well as Griffith University's the long-standing international reputation for excellence in water and environmental research. This is a very appropriate action as Griffith University is well placed to contribute to the aspects of sustainability within the proposal to build a dam at Traveston Crossing. This contribution will develop if the proposal is approved by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts in 2008.

Further to this strategic positioning there appears to be a linkage of Griffith University's standing in the environmental field to tacit support for the proposal. It is hoped that readers of QWI fact sheet number 8 – April 2008 realise that sometimes articles produced by external relations departments portray certain meanings by associating unrelated sections of text. This practice has the (intended?) outcome of presenting an overall meaning quite different to the meanings of the original independent sections of text. This appears to be the case in the QWI update number 8.

Griffith's long-standing international reputation for excellence in water and environmental research also places it in a position to be critical of the proposal in terms of sustainability. There are a number of researchers from Griffith University that are on the public record questioning the impacts of the proposal. Many of these documents can be found in submissions to the Senate Inquiry into Additional Water Supplies for South East Queensland-Traveston Crossing Dam and submissions to the Environmental Impact Statement-Traveston Crossing Dam.

Directors
Accessed May 2008:


 * Chairman - Bob McCarthy (Australia) - Director General of Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
 * Director - Gerard Bradley - Under Treasurer and Under Secretary of QLD
 * Director - Tom Fenwick - Chairman of QLD Land Information Council at DNR
 * Director - John Gralton - Deputy Director General, QLD Transport
 * Director - Rick Parris
 * Chief Executive Officer - Graeme Newton

Contact

 * PO Box 15940, City East, Brisbane, Qld, 4002
 * Web: http://www.qldwi.com.au