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| Lake Pedder controversy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lake Pedder controversy |
| Location | South West Tasmania |
| Type | Controversy |
| Began | 1960s |
| Key parties | Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania), Australian Conservation Foundation, Tasmanian Wilderness Society |
| Outcome | Flooding of Lake Pedder; rise of Australian environmental movement |
Lake Pedder controversy The Lake Pedder controversy was a major environmental and political dispute in Tasmania during the late 1960s and early 1970s concerning the inundation of a natural lake by a hydroelectric scheme. The debate involved competing interests represented by institutions such as the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania), advocacy groups including the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, and international voices from organizations like IUCN and figures associated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The dispute catalysed wider conservation movements in Australia and influenced policy in bodies such as the Commonwealth of Australia and the High Court of Australia.
Lake Pedder was a natural glacial lake situated in South West Tasmania within the Western Tasmania, noted for its unique pink quartzite beach and alpine-river system. The region lay within or adjacent to areas later associated with the South West National Park, the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, and the broader Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Early twentieth-century exploration by figures linked to Frank W. Pretyman and surveyors working with the Tasmanian Lands Department documented the lake’s geomorphology. Postwar industrial development plans by entities such as the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania) intersected with conservation awareness fostered by groups modeled on the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and influenced by ecological science promoted at institutions including the University of Tasmania and the CSIRO.
Proposals to dam the region drew on precedent projects like the Snowy Mountains Scheme and engineering expertise comparable to works by the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania). Plans to construct the Gordon River Power Development involved building the Gordon Dam and diverting tributaries including the Serpentine River (Tasmania) and the Huon River systems, ultimately creating an enlarged impoundment that submerged the original lake. Key decision-makers included Tasmanian politicians from parties such as the Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) and the Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division), and technical advisers trained in institutions like the University of Melbourne and the Monash University. International engineering firms and consultancies with experience in hydroelectric projects influenced the scheme’s design and procurement.
The inundation altered habitats for endemic species catalogued by researchers affiliated with the Tasmanian Herbarium and zoologists publishing through the Australian Museum. The loss of the pink quartzite shoreline and the submersion of unique peatland and alpine flora impacted species listed by conservationists associated with the Australian National University and the Museum of Victoria. Hydrological changes affected downstream ecosystems in the Gordon River and influenced marine estuarine environments studied by investigators at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales. Environmental assessments referenced methodologies developed by groups like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and echoed international debates in forums such as UNESCO committees.
Public reaction mobilised diverse actors from urban centres including Hobart and Launceston to grassroots organisations linked to the Australian Conservation Foundation, the newly formed Tasmanian Wilderness Society, and national figures in the conservation movement. Campaigns used petitions presented to the Australian Parliament, lobbied members of the House of Representatives of Australia and the Senate of Australia, and sought support from public intellectuals connected with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the press like the Hobart Mercury and the The Australian. Prominent activists including individuals influenced by international conservationists from the World Wildlife Fund staged demonstrations, produced photographic evidence archived in institutions like the National Library of Australia, and coordinated legal strategies with lawyers experienced in matters before the High Court of Australia.
Political responses involved state-level legislation enacted by the Parliament of Tasmania and federal engagement through ministers such as those serving in the Cabinet of Australia. Legal questions raised attempts to employ national heritage protections and invoked international attention via the United Nations and submissions to UNESCO. Litigation and parliamentary inquiries examined the powers of agencies including the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania), and debates referenced precedents from cases considered by the High Court of Australia and advisory opinions from bodies like the Australian Law Reform Commission.
The flooding prompted cultural responses from artists, writers, and musicians associated with venues in Hobart and cultural institutions including the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Literary works and visual art exhibited in galleries like the National Gallery of Victoria memorialised the lost landscape, while academic discourse at the University of Tasmania and lectures by scholars connected to the Australian Academy of the Humanities debated notions of heritage and identity. Tourism flows to South West Tasmania shifted, affecting businesses listed with the Tourism Tasmania agency and galvanising Indigenous Tasmanian groups to articulate cultural connections in forums such as the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
The controversy had enduring effects: the elevation of environmental politics in parties such as the Greens (Australia), legislative reforms influenced by environmental NGOs like the Australian Conservation Foundation, and shifts in energy policy discussion linking to debates about renewable resources explored at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The episode contributed to heritage listings such as the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and informed later campaigns around the Franklin Dam and other conservation milestones. Scholarly retrospectives at the Australian National University and exhibitions at the National Library of Australia continue to reinterpret the episode’s significance for Australian environmentalism and public policy.
Category:Environment of Tasmania Category:Hydroelectric power in Australia