Aust’s deputy opposition leader to visit gas, water pipeline sites

By JEFFREY ELAPA
THE Australian deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop will next week lead a delegation of opposition members to PNG to visit several projects in the Southern Highlands.
She is expected to meet with government ministers and officials in Port Moresby before visiting major oil and gas fields and the Southern Highlands to Queensland fresh water project.
In Mendi, she will be met by Works and Transport Minister Francis Awesa, the member for Imbonggu, who had initiated the multi-billion kina fresh water project.
It is expected to cost about A$50 billion and is expected to transform the economy of the Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces.
Both provinces would also benefit from the US$15.7 billion PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that has a lifespan of 30 years, with the first production expected in 2014.
Awesa said the fresh water project that he initiated would benefit and transform the lives of the landowners particularly the people of Imbonggu so long as the rain continues to fall and the rivers continue to run.
He said the visit by the Liberal party was important to fast track the project as they were also looking at importing fresh water into industrial and homes in Queensland, South Australia and Sydney.
Awesa said other big rivers in the Imbonggu district would be the sources of the water project.
He said some of the rivers besides the pro­jects which Bishop would be looking at were the Nembi, Angula, Mendi, Yalo and Tua rivers.
He said these river sources will be pumped into big reservoirs then piped through to Australia to supply domestic, industrial, commercial and farms use.