Readers will recall that the submissions by a number of community representatives – ALL members of the Friends of the Waratah Reservoir Group (FWR) – were ignored by TasWater and RMPAT.

Fawlty Towers or Groom of the Stool? – Tasmanian Times

On 12 May the President of the FWR made an appeal to RMPAT requesting that the approval provided to TasWater to proceed with the Dam decommissioning be rejected.

On 27 May that appeal was rejected by the RMPAT on two grounds viz

  • The first asserts that the Appellant does not have standing to bring the appeal.  
  • The second is that the appeal was brought out of time. 

This appears to be extraordinary deceit and trickery by TasWater enabled by the complicity and silence of DPIPWE, possibly encouraged by Minister Ferguson, as described below.

On the first issue it was claimed the President (the Appellant) was not legitimate as the Friends had not made an actual submission. This despite ALL submissions coming from individual members and one (mine) being signed as Secretary of the Friends. This was not considered relevant!

I have been involved in multiple contract executions /submissions involving $billions of dollars in the resources and water industries. If I signed those documents as ‘Director or General Manager’ that legally bound that organisation to the entirety of the contents of that document. This premise was rejected by RMPAT.

The second issue is even more obtuse.

As noted in the TT article above the advice from DPIPWE re the decommissioning proposal was dated 30 March (during the Caretaker Period) with response time of 14 days e.g., by 13 April.

Due the Easter break and subsequent postal delays many of these registered letters were not received until well in to the first week of April.

Advice was received from Bill Shackcloth in writing that the 14 days’ notice would run from the date of receipt of the Registered letter – see below.

On 10 Apr 2021, at 4:04 pm, John Powell <[email protected]> wrote:

Bill. 

I have advice that the 14 days to submit an appeal in writing for this Notice is from the date of me receiving the Registered Letter and NOT after the DATE OF THIS NOTICE 1.e. 30 March 2021 

Please Confirm 

Mr Shackcloth replied as follows.

From: Shackcloth, Bill <EMAIL>
Sent: Saturday, 10 April 2021 5:11 PM
To: John Powell <EMAIL>
Subject: Re: Notice of Direction- Dam Works Permit – #2020009936 

 That is correct. 

Regards 

The President of Friends of Waratah Reservoir submitted his appeal on 20 April, 13 days after he received his letter.

However, the RMPAT rejected this timeframe and rejected the legality of the Presidential appeal and the DPIPWE legal representative said nothing to the contrary.

This collective narcissistic and arguably corrupt behaviour reminds me of the heyday of Forestry Tasmania and the Forestry Practices Authority who co-joined in a similar culpable manner during the Forest Wars.

This is clearly in contrast to the utterances of the Premier post-election as outlined in this article.

Open Letter to Premier: Fairness & Equality Matter – Tasmanian Times

And reminds me of this famous song from John Lennon during the Vietnam War.  Time for YOU to do something Premier!!

Gimme Some Truth 

I’m sick and tired of hearin’ things
From corrupt, short-sighted, narrow-minded, beaucratics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme Dam truth

I’ve had enough of readin’ things
By neurotic, psychotic, bald-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme Dam truth

No stiff-jawed, yellow-bellied, Ferguson fudge please

Is a new Labor leader gonna try to soft soap
With just a pocketful of hope
David O’ or that Broad bloke
Money for rope

Save Waratah Dam, woo-oo-hoo!

No stiff-jawed, yellow-bellied, Ferguson fudge please

Is a new Labor leader gonna try to soft soap
With just a pocketful of hope
David O’ or that Broad bloke?
Money for rope

I’m sick to death of seein’ things
From tight-lipped, condescendin’, RMPAT’s little legalistics

All I want is the truth
Just gimme Dam truth now

I’ve had enough of watchin’ charades
By schizophrenic, egocentric, paranoiac pollie donnas
All I want is the truth now, now
Just gimme Dam truth

No stiff-jawed, yellow-bellied, Ferguson fudge please

Is a new Labor leader gonna try to soft soap
With just a pocketful of hope
O’Byrne or that Broad bloke?
Money for rope

Ah, I’m sick to the gills of TasWater wafflin’
One-dimensional, anti-community decisions bafflin’

All I want is the truth now
Just gimme Dam truth now

I’ve had enough of readin’ things
By neurotic, psychotic, bald-headed politicians
We had your damn elections
So just gimme Dam truth now

All I want is heritage protections
Just gimme Dam truth now
We had your damn elections
Just gimme the Dam truth
No TasWater misdirections
Just gimme Dam truth now
All I want is the truth


John Powell was Born in Rushworth Victoria; educated at Dandenong High School and Monash University; National Service during the Vietnam War; employed in oil/gas, water, and the resources sectors; proud Celt; protector of environment and Aboriginal heritages; stubborn and resolute.