Marine expert hits desal claim

The Age
PETER KER

January 17, 2009 .

THE marine expert who dared to challenge the State Government over the environmental impact of the Wonthaggi desalination plant has complained of unfair treatment and misrepresentation in last week's approval report.

Flinders University oceanographer Dr Jochen Kaempf has reacted angrily to a review of the desalination environmental effects statement, which implied he had conceded an argument over marine health.

During public hearings, Dr Kaempf challenged the Government's preferred oceanographer, Dr Kerry Black, over the project's impact on the nearby marine environment.

In a technical argument about the behaviour of currents around the plant's waste pipe, Dr Kaempf said the risk of damage to the marine environment from the warm, salty wastes was greater than Dr Black predicted.

But a Government review panel produced a report that included a paragraph from a Government lawyer claiming Dr Kaempf had "ultimately accepted" that Dr Black's work was sound and based on conservative models.

Dr Kaempf rejected that claim this week.

"I have not accepted that key assumptions in Dr Black's model were conservative and I have not made any statements in this sense," he said.

"I strongly protest against the use of my name in unauthorised statements."

The panel's report said Dr Kaempf had also not considered several other "important assumptions".

Dr Kaempf said he remained convinced that Dr Black had overestimated the marine environment's ability to absorb wastes, and that environmental damage would exceed official projections.

Dr Kaempf also criticised the "aggressive style of cross-examination" he encountered at the hearings, and hoped scientific experts would be treated with more respect in future.

He was undecided on whether he should pursue legal action.

The report's authors, Kathryn Mitchell, Nick Wimbush, Chris Harty, Garth Lampe and Greg Sharpley, declined to comment when asked if they had felt political pressure when compiling it.

Department of Planning and Community Development spokesman Seamus Haugh said: "It is policy that inquiries, advisory committees and panels do not comment publicly on their reports to the Planning Minister."

The Government will choose a private consortium to build the plant in coming months, but one of the two remaining bidders has suffered an embarrassing setback in Queensland.

The new Gold Coast desalination plant was due to open on Thursday, but the Queensland Government refused to accept the handover of the plant, citing problems with valves, corrosion and faulty pipes.

The consortium building the Gold Coast plant includes Veolia Water and John Holland, which are partners in the Basswater consortium bidding for the Wonthaggi contract.

John Holland said the Queensland problems should not damage its Victorian bid. "As most of these issues have resulted from supplier defects, the companies … do not expect any of these supplier-related issues to impact on their ability to successfully deliver the Melbourne, Adelaide or Sydney desalination projects," the company said.