Queensland’s failed Paradise Dam will cost at least $4.4b to rebuild

Queensland’s failed Paradise Dam will cost at least $4.4 billion to rebuild, the state government has revealed for the first time.

Water Minister Ann Leahy said dam operator Sunwater had provided the estimate, despite the full design for the rebuild not being complete.

Sunwater chief executive Glenn Stockton said further cost increases could not be ruled out.

“As we work through the design we will refine our way through that [cost] and provide advice to the state,” Mr Stockton said.

He said the completed detailed business case, which sets out the full cost and timeline for the project, is expected to be delivered by the end of next year.

Cost of Paradise

Major damage to the 300,000 megalitre dam, south-west of Bundaberg, was caused by severe flooding in the region in 2013.

Safety work to lower the dam wall by 5.8 metres started in 2020, with both the then Labor state government and federal government committing to restoring the wall once it was made safe.

But in January this year further engineering work revealed there were “too many issues” with concrete in the structure, and Sunwater instead recommended the wall be wholly replaced.

Mr Stockton said 15 per cent of the new dam wall’s design was complete so far, which allowed them to project the estimated cost.

He said quantity and access to the materials required and the size of the workforce needed for the “extensive nature and scale of the project” were reflected in the $4.4 billion price tag.

“That [price] will allow us to deliver the wall to design standards and to achieve contemporary safety standards,” he said.

“To provide for community safety and provide for that water security fundamental to the success of the Bundaberg Region.”

Farmers want project prioritised

The water storage is critical for the security of the region’s extensive agricultural industry, which is a significant economic driver in the region.

Bundaberg irrigator Judy Plath has been fighting for more water security since the dam wall was lowered.

“With the cost of everything these days, infrastructure projects are getting more and more expensive by the minute, and it’s not surprising at all that such a major project is going to cost that kind of money,” Ms Plath said.

“If we don’t have a full-size Paradise Dam capturing water when it comes down the river during these wet times, this region will be facing serious economic losses if irrigators run out of water.”

Ms Plath urged the new state government to prioritise the rebuilding project.

“We will be keeping a close watch on this project to ensure that the new state government moves ahead quickly with the rebuild and prioritises this project as vital to the economic future of Queensland,” she said.

Commitment to rebuild

The state and federal governments had previously pledged $1.2 billion for the remediation works before it was discovered the wall needed to be replaced.

Minister Leahy said the state government, which was elected in October, was still committed to the project.

“I’m very concerned about that figure, that’s a lot of money for taxpayers,” Ms Leahy said.

She said she had been in discussions with her federal counterparts about the cost.

In a statement, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said it had not yet received a proposal for additional funding for the project.