BRADFORD SCHEME REMAINS OFF LABOR'S DROUGHT PROOFING RADAR AS QUEENSLAND TURNS INTO A DUSTBOWL

On the issue of water security and "drought proofing" south-east Queensland, opposition leader Deb Frecklington and the LNP at least have some idea. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor have no idea. No idea whatsoever. 

That is proven no better than by the Premier's latest grand plan, big ticket project announcement that to spare the already bone dry and dustbowl Southern Downs / Granite Belt region, around Warwick and Stanthorpe, from running out of water in the future, that Labor intends to instigate the construction of new pipelines to the region from you guessed it - the Wivenhoe Dam. 

The dam which is already over-resourced and over-taxed on an unsustainable level, thanks to an ever increasing urban population around greater Brisbane, and thanks to an unwieldy lack of water restrictions which should have already been in place months and months ago. 

Not forgetting, which will prove to be a disastrous bureaucratic overreaction in the aftermath of the 2011 floods, the policy adopted by the Palaszczuk Government to "deliberately release water" from the Wivenhoe Dam to keep its nominal capacity at no more than around 80%. 

Fair enough, if a dam is brimming at full capacity and a major rain event is forecast, and almost certain to come to fruition, then yes, a controlled release of water before the event is always going to be demanded. The 1974 and 2011 floods prove that to a tee. 

But Labor's post 2011 "water release policy" is flawed and more than that, a heinous form of water mismanagement. It is just madness that thousands of megalitres, that being a conservative estimate, was released from the Wivenhoe Dam some considerable time after the 2011 floods, when there wasn't a rain depression in sight, just to appease Labor's own tribe of suburban activists in Brisbane who yes, sadly, were impacted by the 2011 floods. 

However, who besides a dill would advocate for the release of 20% of a whole city's and region's town water supply in dry weather just in case a once in five years rain depression/ cyclone event suddenly dumps that amount of water in the catchment of a dam? That is presently "Labor's mentality" to do with water management for south-east Queensland. 

At least Deb Frecklington is talking up and pledging to proceed with the Bradford Scheme, to get flood water resulting from much more common rain events in the tropical north of Queensland down through the centre and into south-east Queensland. It has to happen, there is no two ways about it.

Otherwise inland Queensland, from the border right up to around the Burnett region, at the very least, is up the shat. Labor is remaining totally uncommitted to the project for the simple fact that the Greens and left wing of the party are opposed to diversion of flood water which the most left wing in both parties believe must "go out to sea" as nature intended. 

Those same people ought to live in a teepee and not in an upmarket Brisbane house if they want to do everything as nature intended. Sure, nature and the environment must be respected and protected wherever possible, but we need water, and we need the Bradford Scheme badly.