Sorrowful outcome

GEOFF SMEDLEY

The problem is serious enough for a caring government to seek the assistance of outside hydraulogist/engineering specialists to allow a little sanity to prevail on the matter while perhaps taking the unusual step of bringing in a planning body and more importantly a credible health testing authority that can warn of the serious risks now lurking in the heart of Launceston.

The Sorrowful Outcome

I RECKON it can be safely said that Launceston’s last natural feature, the Tamar river has been lost, reduced from the the original attraction of the city to a centre of decay that now really threatens long term viability of the city itself. Since 1997 when it became very noticable that Launceston’s last icon was in great distress, and while there were no eyes turned in that direction that seemed capable to see to its real needs, instead the opposite approach was being taken resulting in the sad immage that presents itself today.

The reams of reports , the many spurious bodies that have masqueraded as saviours , the uncountable millions of dollars that have been fritted away on mindless programmes known to failure while bending all the important rules of engineering ethics in the process.

The latest GHD prelimery report (still looking for the source of the silt) is typical of long term fudging of the problem, this $430,000 whitewash is a poor reflection on the level of skills that can be mustered to such an important cause and must be labeled among the “parisites on progress” folder and nothing more.

It is of no comfort to witness a Tasmanian government buried in constant turmoil while being led by an apprentice state premier, a lack lustre support crew, with an opposition happy to toddle along behind and simply serves little purpose, is it any wonder that in this growing time of need, little progress on the true woes of the state are receiving attention?

Tasmania’s potential has been held back to the levels of the 1930’s with its continual conflicts that today rule the whole state, conflicts of interests on every front, many promoted by government simply to detour from other indiscretions and the path is simply scared with potholes that we somehow seem proud of. Being in conflict with nature is one battle we can’t win but the persistance is there outdoing every other state of Australia in is quest for the distructive path and at any cost.

The majority of the states infrastructure was put in place in the 19th century labeling it well behind even remote parts of India and perhaps some parts of Africa, but here in Tasmania we are led to beleive it is the normal practice with the help of string, wire and particularly bandaids, so comming to terms with the 21st century is obviously a long way off yet.

Finally coming back to the demise of Launcestons waterways which has held my interest in a fight to save it for more than a decade, it is not much of a consolation to hold a 100% success rate on predictions of failed outcomes leading to the demise of the Tamar estuary, so many avoidable and costly disasters have taken place in this past decade alone.

Conservative estimates point to more than $1 million dollars a year has been gambled away in the premise of helping the river, the lack of technical skills and the failure to seek even basic advise is at the base of the problem, causing an even more rapid decline in the decay process. I can say at this stage without fear of contradiction that councils latest venture of placing flood levies around what was once a water course will prove the biggest folly Launceston has ever witnessed, at an overall cost of around $60 million and up to seven years until such a gamble is completed its all too obvious that with no outlet left for the expected floodwaters to escape, Invermay and Inveresk is the only alternative passage for the threatening torrents of silt and water to take despite the placement of dicey dykes.

The problem is serious enough for a caring government to seek the assistance of outside hydraulogist/engineering specialists to allow a little sanity to prevail on the matter while perhaps taking the unusual step of bringing in a planning body and more importantly a credible health testing authority that can warn of the serious risks now lurking in the heart of Launceston.

Geoff Smedley, Launceston.