Franklin Dam controversy

The Franklin Dam (also Franklin Dam or Gordon - Franklin Dam ) was a project in Tasmania to generate electricity, which would have flooded upon completion of the original area of the Franklin River and the Gordon River. This river landscapes are among the most important protected areas in the world. A protest movement prevented the construction of the dam, one of the biggest successes of the environmental movement in Australia.

Prehistory

Were made public the plans for the construction of the dam in 1978, six years after the building of three Lake Pedder dams had been in a nature reserve, enforced by the government of Tasmania, despite violent protests.

At the new protest movement, the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and the Australian Conservation Foundation were involved. These organizations, the experience had collected about a conflict over the construction of the Lake Pedder - dam, brought it accomplishes that that 30,000 Protestbiefe were sent and a film, The Last Wild River, was shown in the Tasmanian commercial television. In June 1980 about 10,000 people were protesting in Hobart against the building.

The ruling Australian Labor Party sought a compromise in this conflict. The Tasmanian energy company HEC pointed out that without the Franklin Dam was to be expected with a loss of 10,000 jobs on the island of Tasmania.

The Liberal - Conservative Party of Australia had a majority in the Legislative Council and prevented the enforcement of this compromise the ruling Australian Labor Party. To end the political stalemate, the Labor government led on 12 December 1981 a referendum. Since the vote only proposed two alternatives, both of which advocated a dam, voted 45 percent of voters handwritten with No Dams on the other hand, although they were aware that their voice was thus invalid. The opponents of the dam construction taken numerous initiatives and campaigns, such as information sessions, musical performances, distribution of a photo calendar famous photographers both in Tasmania as well as in the rest of Australia and sensitized the public.

Protest

The continuing resistance of the dam opponents and the stalemate, the government crisis continued in Tasmania, until it finally came to elections. In May 1982 the Labor government lost the election in Tasmania against the liberalkonvervative party by Robin Gray. The new Prime Minister Gray wanted to make the nomination to the World Heritage reversed and began the implementation of the original design concept. In November 1982 then threatened Bob Brown, one of the most famous environmental policy of Australia, with the occupation of the site on 14 December 1982. On this day, the areas of the river landscapes of the Franklin and Gordon Rivers should be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Brown's call followed 2,500 dam opponents, who occupied the area at Warner 's Landing. For the organization of this protest came Bob Brown three weeks in detention.

Tasmania, however, this issue was politically divided, with the other hand, organized 2,500 dam advocates a demonstration in Hobart.

The government Tasmania stricter laws against the right to demonstrate, which meant that there were about 1,440 arrests during the Protestestaktion. This made the world public attention to the Franklin Dam. The Australian band Goanna and Redgum brought the song Let The Franklin Flow out together, which became the protest song and in February took 20,000 people participated in a demonstration in Hobart. By March 1983 some 1,200 protesters were arrested. On March 1, which was proclaimed Green Day, there were arrests of 231 people who drove on the Gordon River with boats and disguised as ducks.

All of this eventually led to that subject was of great importance in the election at the federal level in Australia. The Labor Party won on 5 March 1983, the election against the prime minister of the Liberal Party of Konvervativen Malcolm Fraser and the new Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke of the Labor Party instructed the construction freeze. Although the federal government was against the further construction and, referring to the nature conservation legislation in Australia and on the declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tasmanian government did continue building and there was a lawsuit in the High Court of Australia.

Today the disputed territory to the Franklin - Gordon Wild Rivers National Park has been declared.

Compromise

A political compromise was eventually found and the King River and Henty River in Tasmania were dammed to cover from the hydroelectric power the electricity needs of Tasmania.