No support for Traveston Dam in southeast votes

Southeast Queenslanders voted against the controversial Traveston Crossing Dam overwhelmingly. 

The Queensland Greens say that the finalising of the count for the 2009 Queensland state election proves this unequivocally. 

Three days after the election the premier claimed that despite a strong anti-government vote on the Sunshine Coast and the loss of a ministerial seat, that the rest of southeast Queensland voted in favour of the dam.  [Hervey Bay was formerly held by the former Minister for Sustainability Andrew McNamara.]

Queensland Greens spokesperson Libby Connors today insisted that the Premier’s assumptions were wrong. 

‘The Greens and the LNP openly campaigned against the dam as part of their policy platforms and the Independent, Peter Wellington, also publicly opposed the dam. 

‘The Greens, LNP and Peter Wellington gained a total of 836 152 primary votes in the areas defined by the Electoral Commission of Queensland as Southeast Queensland.   The ALP won only 673 517 votes in the same region.’ 

In percentage terms, the LNP plus the Greens vote across the region averaged 51.10% compared with the government’s 43.07%. 

‘Even if we dismiss the figures for those Sunshine Coast seats nearest the dam, as the premier unfairly did, a greater number of southeast Queenslanders voted for anti-dam parties than the government, 703 869 to 615 520 for the ALP,’ Dr Connors said. 

The Greens used results for the 61 seats defined by the Electoral Commission of Queensland as Southeast Queensland and the seats of Buderim, Caloundra, Glass House, Gympie, Kawana, Maroochydore, Nicklin and Noosa to define the Sunshine Coast seats nearest to the dam.  

Contact: Libby Connors 0429 487 110