Federal Member for Page, Kevin Hogan, has stated that Labor is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on a new review of the Far North Coast’s bulk water supply, accusing the state and federal government of deliberately excluding Dunoon Dam from the review, despite more than 10,000 locals signing a petition calling for it to be assessed.

Mr Hogan, said the review cannot be taken seriously unless Dunoon Dam is put back on the table.

“Labor’s refusal to consider Dunoon Dam undermines the credibility of the entire review. Their approach is ideological, not practical. This is millions of dollars being wasted on a study designed to ignore the very option that could actually fix our water security,” Mr Hogan said.

“It is also extraordinary that the review will examine desalination, even though Rous County Council has already found it to be high-cost, complex and unsuitable for supplying inland communities. Rous’ own reports state the capital and operating costs for desalination are ‘extremely high’, and that water from a coastal plant cannot be easily or economically transferred inland.”

Here is a link to the Rous Water Desalination Options Assessment Report (June 2024), which outlines the high cost and constraints of desalination: https://councilpapers.rous.nsw.gov.au/documents/s6350/Desalination%20Options%20Assessment%20Report.pdf.

The NSW and Australian Governments have jointly committed $5 million to develop a preliminary business case. The Australian Government is contributing $2.5 million through the National Water Grid Fund.