JourneyOnline
Governments need to be more compassionate and understanding of the human cost of their decisions, said the Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland in a submission to the Senate’s Traveston Dam inquiry.
Rev Dr David Pitman reflected on his visit to the proposed site of the dam in June last year in his submission to the Inquiry into Additional Water Supplies for South East Queensland – Traveston Crossing Dam.
“I personally feel a deep sense of outrage on behalf of the residents of the Mary Valley,” Dr Pitman said.
“They have been treated very badly by a Government that constantly declares that it cares for people. There is no evidence of that here.
“Regardless of the final outcome, a great injustice has been done.”
Dr Pitman said the decision to build the dam not only impacted on those whose properties were scheduled for inundation but on the entire community and, inevitably, on the river valleys below the dam and the areas around them.
“It is not really possible to appreciate the depth of pain and trauma this announcement has caused without personal contact with those most directly affected.
“I have personally asked the Premier to explain the basis on which he could publicly commit to these projects before any significant investigation had taken place and in the absence of any prior consultation with those most directly and adversely affected.
“He has been unable to provide a satisfactory response.”
Dr Pitman remains hopeful that the government will not build the dam.
“Nevertheless my experience of this episode raises another issue: the need for governments to be more compassionate and understanding of the human cost of their decisions.
“Families and communities are foundation blocks of our civilised society. Whenever communities are going to be disrupted and destroyed by the decisions of government, those governments have an obligation to act in a more responsible and humane way to the people in those communities.
“If there is no other outcome from this inquiry it should ensure that every Australian government, both state and federal, responds with more humanity and care to the communities who suffer as a result of their decisions.”
Dr Pitman said the Uniting Church has been part of the community in the Mary Valley for nearly thirty years and the preceding denominations were part of the community for decades prior to that.
“We continue to have a full time ministry presence in that community. The Rev Iain Watt has been exercising a wonderful ministry in the Valley. He is well known and greatly respected.
“In the midst of this human crisis the demands on his time and energy have been considerable.”
Photo : Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland Rev Dr David Pitman
