By Bill Mason

BRISBANE -- The Australian Conservation Foundation has accused Queensland Premier Rob Borbidge of using "scare tactics" to frighten people into believing the controversial Tully Millstream hydro-electric power scheme should go ahead.

The proposed scheme in World Heritage wilderness in northern Queensland was first mooted by the Bjelke-Petersen government in 1986, and has now been revived by the new state Coalition government.

Jim Downey, ACF executive director, said on March 19, "Borbidge's comments are mind-boggling in their mischief".

Downey refuted the Queensland premier's argument that the state urgently needed a new power station, pointing out, "Queensland has a massive excess of generating capacity".

He also slammed the argument that Tully Millstream is the "cleanest, cheapest and greenest option". He said that flooding rainforest is hardly a "green" proposal, and that a number of energy options are cheaper, including solar and power conservation.

Finally, Downey denied Borbidge's claim that a majority of Queenslanders support Tully Millstream.

"The arguments we are hearing today from Mr Borbidge bear little resemblance to the facts and have a 1986 ring to them", Downey concluded.

In response to public pressure on the issue, Premier Borbidge announced on March 20 that the state government would be considering a scaled-down version of the project, outside the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

Conservationists have expressed scepticism about the new plan, demanding to know more details.

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