124-771: The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam (or simply Franklin Dam ) project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania , Australia , that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history. The dam was proposed for the purpose of generating hydroelectricity . The resulting new electricity generation capacity would have been 180 megawatts (240,000 hp). The proposed construction would have subsequently impacted upon
248-463: A Labor campaign for the 1903 state election started to take shape with a view to forming a parliamentary party. The need to form a national Labor Party saw various mainland Labor Party figures visiting the state to build support, and a visit by the British trade unionist Tom Mann led to the formation of a Hobart Workers' Political League. Pre-election votes were taken to determine Labor candidates in
372-401: A balancing compression stress in the downstream face, providing additional economy. For this type of dam, it is essential to have an impervious foundation with high bearing strength. Permeable foundations have a greater likelihood of generating uplift pressures under the dam. Uplift pressures are hydrostatic pressures caused by the water pressure of the reservoir pushing up against the bottom of
496-613: A ballot to succeed White, but resigned as leader after less than a month following allegations of historical sexual harassment. White was then re-elected as leader. In July 2022, the ALP National Executive assumed control over the operations of the Tasmanian branch, with the state conference and administrative committee placed into suspension and former senators Doug Cameron and Nick Sherry appointed as administrators. ALP national secretary Paul Erickson stated that
620-470: A brief interruption when he was put on trial on corruption charges, when he was replaced by Edward Brooker . Although Labor and the Liberals were often finely balanced in the 30-member House of Assembly, Cosgrove was able to secure governing majorities through his skillful handling of independent members, before expanding the number of House members to 35. A devout Catholic, Cosgrove was also able to minimise
744-726: A candle-lit dinner serenaded by string quartet, ABC's classical music radio station featured a "Concert for the Franklin", and electronics entrepreneur Dick Smith committed to civil disobedience. Many people who had not previously considered conservation issues decided that wilderness was a vote-worthy issue, as evidenced by the following ballot paper write-in campaigns. In the federal Lowe by-election in Sydney, March 1982, volunteers at every polling booth encouraged voters to write "No Dams" on their ballot paper, and 9% did so. At that first 'Write-in' campaign, few people knew that they could write
868-544: A dam as "jurisdictional" or "non-jurisdictional" varies by location. In the United States, each state defines what constitutes a non-jurisdictional dam. In the state of Colorado a non-jurisdictional dam is defined as a dam creating a reservoir with a capacity of 100 acre-feet or less and a surface area of 20 acres or less and with a height measured as defined in Rules 4.2.5.1. and 4.2.19 of 10 feet or less. In contrast,
992-499: A dam that directed waterflow. It was finished in 251 BC. A large earthen dam, made by Sunshu Ao , the prime minister of Chu (state) , flooded a valley in modern-day northern Anhui Province that created an enormous irrigation reservoir (100 km (62 mi) in circumference), a reservoir that is still present today. Roman dam construction was characterized by "the Romans' ability to plan and organize engineering construction on
1116-493: A distinct vertical curvature to it as well lending it the vague appearance of a concave lens as viewed from downstream. The multiple-arch dam consists of a number of single-arch dams with concrete buttresses as the supporting abutments, as for example the Daniel-Johnson Dam , Québec, Canada. The multiple-arch dam does not require as many buttresses as the hollow gravity type but requires a good rock foundation because
1240-478: A grand scale." Roman planners introduced the then-novel concept of large reservoir dams which could secure a permanent water supply for urban settlements over the dry season. Their pioneering use of water-proof hydraulic mortar and particularly Roman concrete allowed for much larger dam structures than previously built, such as the Lake Homs Dam , possibly the largest water barrier to that date, and
1364-605: A message on their federal ballot paper without invalidating their vote. In the ACT House of Assembly mid-1982 election, up to 40% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot paper. In the federal Flinders by-election in Victoria in December 1982, 40% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot papers. In November 1982, the conflict stepped up a notch when Brown announced that a blockade of the dam site would begin on 14 December. On
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#17327733770091488-511: A minor tributary of the Nieuwe Maas . The central square of Amsterdam, covering the original site of the 800-year-old dam, still carries the name Dam Square . The Romans were the first to build arch dams , where the reaction forces from the abutment stabilizes the structure from the external hydrostatic pressure , but it was only in the 19th century that the engineering skills and construction materials available were capable of building
1612-451: A minority government with the support of independent Joshua Whitsitt , but his government was defeated at the 1916 Tasmanian state election in April 1916. Among the government's achievements were the establishment of the state's Hydro-Electric Department (now Hydro Tasmania ). Earle continued as Opposition Leader until November that year, when he quit the leadership and the party as part of
1736-509: A notable increase in interest in SHPs. Couto and Olden (2018) conducted a global study and found 82,891 small hydropower plants (SHPs) operating or under construction. Technical definitions of SHPs, such as their maximum generation capacity, dam height, reservoir area, etc., vary by country. A dam is non-jurisdictional when its size (usually "small") excludes it from being subject to certain legal regulations. The technical criteria for categorising
1860-649: A profession based on a rigorously applied scientific theoretical framework. This new emphasis was centered around the engineering faculties of universities in France and in the United Kingdom. William John Macquorn Rankine at the University of Glasgow pioneered the theoretical understanding of dam structures in his 1857 paper On the Stability of Loose Earth . Rankine theory provided a good understanding of
1984-517: A prominent early union leader, Hugh Kirk, and a lack of job security for the miners on the north-west coast. Unofficial pro-Labor candidates contested parliamentary seats from 1886. Allan MacDonald was elected at the 1893 election and has been regarded as Tasmania's first Labor member, but was not himself a worker and in any case was shortly forced to retire due to ill-health. Numerous other candidates from liberal or democratic leagues were elected, but often showed little regard for workers' issues. As
2108-404: A public interest campaign concerning the river. The photographs of Dombrovskis and his colleague, Olegas Truchanas , attracted significant attention. The campaign generated 30,000 letters of support in a fortnight. A film, The Last Wild River , was shown on Tasmania's two commercial television stations. In June 1980, an estimated 10,000 people marched through the streets of Hobart, demanding that
2232-810: A result of these issues, there was no state Labor Party by the time of Federation , and as such there was no formal Labor campaign in Tasmania at the 1901 federal election . King O'Malley was elected as an independent in the House of Representatives, and David O'Keefe was elected to the Senate endorsed by the Protectionist Party . O'Keefe joined the Labor Party when parliament sat for the first time, and O'Malley arrived unpledged but joined in June after
2356-566: A settling pond, and a 1,000 m (3,300 ft) canal to a distribution tank. These works were not finished until 325 AD when the dam permitted the irrigation of 25,000 acres (100 km ). Eflatun Pınar is a Hittite dam and spring temple near Konya , Turkey. It is thought to date from the Hittite empire between the 15th and 13th centuries BC. The Kallanai is constructed of unhewn stone, over 300 m (980 ft) long, 4.5 m (15 ft) high and 20 m (66 ft) wide, across
2480-413: A vote of 4 to 3 in the federal government's favour. Judges Mason, Murphy, Brennan and Deane were in the majority and justices Wilson and Dawson with Chief Justice Gibbs were in the minority. This ruling gave the federal government the power to legislate on any issue if necessary to enforce an international treaty and has been the subject of controversy ever since. Justice Lionel Murphy wrote most broadly of
2604-970: A week as there was nowhere else to hold him. In February, a Hobart rally against the dam drew approximately 20,000 people. On 1 March, the movement launched a day of action, which they labelled 'G-Day'. 231 people were arrested as a flotilla of boats took to the Gordon River. In Hobart, the Wilderness Society flag was flown above the HEC building. On 2 March the Wilderness Society backed the publication of what were then rare full-page colour advertisements in The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne's The Age newspapers of what would soon become an iconic photograph: Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River by Peter Dombrovskis . It
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#17327733770092728-408: A whole dam itself, that dam also would be held in place by gravity, i.e., there is no tension in the upstream face of the dam holding the top of the dam down. The designer does this because it is usually more practical to make a dam of material essentially just piled up than to make the material stick together against vertical tension. The shape that prevents tension in the upstream face also eliminates
2852-474: Is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation , human consumption , industrial use , aquaculture , and navigability . Hydropower is often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect or store water which can be evenly distributed between locations. Dams generally serve
2976-424: Is dependent on the strength of the side wall abutments, hence not only should the arch be well seated on the side walls but also the character of the rock should be carefully inspected. Two types of single-arch dams are in use, namely the constant-angle and the constant-radius dam. The constant-radius type employs the same face radius at all elevations of the dam, which means that as the channel grows narrower towards
3100-471: Is sloped the distribution is more complicated. The normal component of the weight of the arch ring may be taken by the arch action, while the normal hydrostatic pressure will be distributed as described above. For this type of dam, firm reliable supports at the abutments (either buttress or canyon side wall) are more important. The most desirable place for an arch dam is a narrow canyon with steep side walls composed of sound rock. The safety of an arch dam
3224-399: Is the more widely used of the two, though the hollow dam is frequently more economical to construct. Grand Coulee Dam is a solid gravity dam and Braddock Locks & Dam is a hollow gravity dam. A gravity dam can be combined with an arch dam into an arch-gravity dam for areas with massive amounts of water flow but less material available for a pure gravity dam. The inward compression of
3348-590: Is the thinnest arch dam in the world and one of the oldest arch dams in Asia. It was constructed some 700 years ago in Tabas county , South Khorasan Province , Iran . It stands 60 meters tall, and in crest is a one meter width. Some historians believe the dam was built by Shāh Abbās I, whereas others believe that he repaired it. In the Netherlands , a low-lying country, dams were often built to block rivers to regulate
3472-406: The 1906 state election . Earle was elected as the first Tasmanian Labor leader after the election, Labor having declined to elect a leader during their first term. Labor suffered a blow when O'Keefe was defeated in the Senate at the 1906 federal election , and lost further votes at the 1909 state election —at which, however, they increased their MPs to twelve out of thirty due to the introduction of
3596-594: The 2024 Tasmanian State Election , the party is led by Franklin MP Dean Winter , and since 2014, has formed the official opposition in Tasmania. The party is currently represented in Parliament by the Winter Shadow ministry . The Labor Party came into existence in Tasmania later than in the mainland states, in part due to the weak state of nineteenth-century Tasmanian trade unionism compared to
3720-519: The Australian Labor Party won the federal election with a large swing. The new prime minister , Bob Hawke , had vowed to stop the dam from being built, and the anti-dam vote increased Hawke's majority - some federal Victorian seats were notable for having a strong interest in the issue. However, in Tasmania, the vote went against the national trend and the Liberals held all five seats. Hawke's government first passed regulations under
3844-541: The Australian Labor Party split of 1916 split over conscription. His deputy, Joseph Lyons , assumed the leadership in the wake of the party split and Earle's departure. Labor could not return to power in the 1922 election , but Lyons became Premier the following year after the disintegration of the Nationalist Party administration, and he led Labor to a majority in the 1925 election . Lyons' premiership saw him abandon radicalism in favour of pragmatism, and
Franklin Dam controversy - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-657: The Fayum Depression to the Nile in Middle Egypt. Two dams called Ha-Uar running east–west were built to retain water during the annual flood and then release it to surrounding lands. The lake called Mer-wer or Lake Moeris covered 1,700 km (660 sq mi) and is known today as Birket Qarun. By the mid-late third millennium BC, an intricate water-management system in Dholavira in modern-day India
4092-579: The Harbaqa Dam , both in Roman Syria . The highest Roman dam was the Subiaco Dam near Rome ; its record height of 50 m (160 ft) remained unsurpassed until its accidental destruction in 1305. Roman engineers made routine use of ancient standard designs like embankment dams and masonry gravity dams. Apart from that, they displayed a high degree of inventiveness, introducing most of
4216-537: The Hare-Clark electoral system . Earle would form Tasmania's first Labor government on 20 October, after a no-confidence motion ousted the anti-Labor fusion government of Elliott Lewis . Jensen, Long and James Ogden were appointed to Earle's ministry, but the new government, lacking a majority, was ousted after only seven days. Earle remained Labor leader in opposition, and assumed the Premiership in 1914 in
4340-601: The National Inventory of Dams (NID). Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) The Tasmanian Labor Party , officially known as the Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as Tasmanian Labor , is the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party . It has been one of the most successful state Labor parties in Australia in terms of electoral success. Following
4464-713: The Tasmanian Trades & Labor Council , assumed the Labor and Opposition leadership from Field in 1997. He led the party back into government, winning the 1998 Tasmanian state election , after campaigning against the privatisation of Hydro Tasmania which had been proposed by the Liberals, and being returned in a landslide at the 2002 Tasmanian state election . However, Bacon was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and resigned from politics in February 2004, dying in June that year. Bacon's deputy, Paul Lennon , assumed
4588-645: The University of Oxford published a study of the cost of large dams – based on the largest existing dataset – documenting significant cost overruns for a majority of dams and questioning whether benefits typically offset costs for such dams. Dams can be formed by human agency, natural causes, or even by the intervention of wildlife such as beavers . Man-made dams are typically classified according to their size (height), intended purpose or structure. Based on structure and material used, dams are classified as easily created without materials, arch-gravity dams , embankment dams or masonry dams , with several subtypes. In
4712-564: The 15th and 13th centuries BC. The Kallanai Dam in South India, built in the 2nd century AD, is one of the oldest water regulating structures still in use. Roman engineers built dams with advanced techniques and materials, such as hydraulic mortar and Roman concrete, which allowed for larger structures. They introduced reservoir dams, arch-gravity dams, arch dams, buttress dams, and multiple arch buttress dams. In Iran, bridge dams were used for hydropower and water-raising mechanisms. During
4836-489: The British began construction in 1898. The project was designed by Sir William Willcocks and involved several eminent engineers of the time, including Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Aird , whose firm, John Aird & Co. , was the main contractor. Capital and financing were furnished by Ernest Cassel . When initially constructed between 1899 and 1902, nothing of its scale had ever before been attempted; on completion, it
4960-520: The Colorado River is a constant-angle arch dam. A similar type is the double-curvature or thin-shell dam. Wildhorse Dam near Mountain City, Nevada , in the United States is an example of the type. This method of construction minimizes the amount of concrete necessary for construction but transmits large loads to the foundation and abutments. The appearance is similar to a single-arch dam but with
5084-680: The Colorado River. By 1997, there were an estimated 800,000 dams worldwide, with some 40,000 of them over 15 meters high. Early dam building took place in Mesopotamia and the Middle East . Dams were used to control water levels, for Mesopotamia's weather affected the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The earliest known dam is the Jawa Dam in Jordan , 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of
Franklin Dam controversy - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-698: The Franklin Dam decision's broader environmental and social implications in terms of the UNESCO Convention's common heritage of humanity principle, stating that "The preservation of the world's heritage must not be looked at in isolation but as part of the co-operation between nations which is calculated to achieve intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind and so reinforce the bonds between people which promote peace and displace those of narrow nationalism and alienation which promote war...[t]he encouragement of people to think internationally, to regard
5332-653: The Liberal government of Will Hodgman in the polls, Green abruptly resigned from the leadership and from parliament in March 2017. He was succeeded as Labor and Opposition Leader by Rebecca White , who led Labor to a narrow election loss at the 2018 Tasmanian state election , winning 3 seats back and reducing the Liberals to the smallest possible majority. After losing the 2021 election , White and her deputy Michelle O'Byrne stood down from their leadership positions. Michelle's brother David O'Byrne defeated Shane Broad in
5456-714: The Middle Ages, dams were built in the Netherlands to regulate water levels and prevent sea intrusion. In the 19th century, large-scale arch dams were constructed around the British Empire, marking advances in dam engineering techniques. The era of large dams began with the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt in 1902. The Hoover Dam, a massive concrete arch-gravity dam, was built between 1931 and 1936 on
5580-610: The Middle East for water control. The earliest known dam is the Jawa Dam in Jordan , dating to 3,000 BC. Egyptians also built dams, such as Sadd-el-Kafara Dam for flood control. In modern-day India, Dholavira had an intricate water-management system with 16 reservoirs and dams. The Great Dam of Marib in Yemen, built between 1750 and 1700 BC, was an engineering wonder, and Eflatun Pinar, a Hittite dam and spring temple in Turkey, dates to
5704-665: The National Executive had intervened for the purposes of "improving the culture of the branch, reinstating trust, respect, transparency and a party-first approach to internal decision-making". After the 2024 Tasmanian state election , party leader Rebecca White announced she was stepping down from the position after three consecutive election losses for the party. White was succeeded as leader by Franklin MP Dean Winter, with Anita Dow continuing as Deputy. The following people have served as parliamentary leader of
5828-403: The Senate and the seat of Denison were defeated. The support of Lamerton, a former mine manager, was described by The Mercury as "equivocal"; he drifted away from the party in their first term and became an opponent. The party continued to struggle organisationally and financially, but a more determined campaign, again featuring strong interstate support, saw the party return seven MPs at
5952-772: The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which covered both the Franklin and Gordon Rivers. However, Tasmania itself was still divided, with a pro-dam rally in Hobart also attracting around 2,500 people. While the blockade was ongoing, Norm Sanders resigned from the Tasmanian House of Assembly to contest a seat in the Australian Senate . He was replaced in the Assembly by Bob Brown , who had only been released from jail
6076-483: The Tasmanian impact of the Australian Labor Party split of 1955 over attitudes towards the influence of the Communist Party in the trade union movement. Cosgrove's successor, Eric Reece , emphasized economic development and the expansion of hydroelectricity production during his premiership. He suffered a surprise defeat in the 1969 election , ending Labor's 35-year run in office in Tasmania. Although he
6200-495: The United States alone, there are approximately 2,000,000 or more "small" dams that are not included in the Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of dams . Records of small dams are kept by state regulatory agencies and therefore information about small dams is dispersed and uneven in geographic coverage. Countries worldwide consider small hydropower plants (SHPs) important for their energy strategies, and there has been
6324-524: The World Commission on Dams also includes in the "large" category, dams which are between 5 and 15 m (16 and 49 ft) high with a reservoir capacity of more than 3 million cubic metres (2,400 acre⋅ft ). Hydropower dams can be classified as either "high-head" (greater than 30 m in height) or "low-head" (less than 30 m in height). As of 2021 , ICOLD's World Register of Dams contains 58,700 large dam records. The tallest dam in
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#17327733770096448-652: The anti-Labor parties refused to support his idea for a Commonwealth Bank . George Mason Burns , secretary of the Queenstown branch of the Amalgamated Miners' Association , convened a small conference in September 1901, chaired by future Premier John Earle , which drew up a moderate Labor platform, and a Political Labor League formed on the north-west coast. However, there was understood to be no Labor organisation in Tasmania as late as 1902. By 1903,
6572-403: The arch dam, stability is obtained by a combination of arch and gravity action. If the upstream face is vertical the entire weight of the dam must be carried to the foundation by gravity, while the distribution of the normal hydrostatic pressure between vertical cantilever and arch action will depend upon the stiffness of the dam in a vertical and horizontal direction. When the upstream face
6696-666: The back of the dam through a large pipe to drive a water wheel and watermill . In the 10th century, Al-Muqaddasi described several dams in Persia. He reported that one in Ahwaz was more than 910 m (3,000 ft) long, and that it had many water-wheels raising the water into aqueducts through which it flowed into reservoirs of the city. Another one, the Band-i-Amir Dam, provided irrigation for 300 villages. Shāh Abbās Arch (Persian: طاق شاه عباس), also known as Kurit Dam ,
6820-447: The blockade. Protesters impeded machinery and occupied sites associated with the construction work. Nearly 500 people were imprisoned for breaking the terms of their bail. This caused an overflow of prisons in the region. British botanist David Bellamy was jailed, which gave the dispute international attention. The author John Marsden , after being arrested at the blockade, was placed in the maximum security division of Risdon Prison for
6944-491: The bottom of the dam the central angle subtended by the face of the dam becomes smaller. Jones Falls Dam , in Canada, is a constant radius dam. In a constant-angle dam, also known as a variable radius dam, this subtended angle is kept constant and the variation in distance between the abutments at various levels is taken care of by varying the radii. Constant-radius dams are much less common than constant-angle dams. Parker Dam on
7068-402: The buttress loads are heavy. In a gravity dam, the force that holds the dam in place against the push from the water is Earth's gravity pulling down on the mass of the dam. The water presses laterally (downstream) on the dam, tending to overturn the dam by rotating about its toe (a point at the bottom downstream side of the dam). The dam's weight counteracts that force, tending to rotate the dam
7192-501: The capital Amman . This gravity dam featured an originally 9-metre-high (30 ft) and 1 m-wide (3.3 ft) stone wall, supported by a 50 m-wide (160 ft) earthen rampart. The structure is dated to 3000 BC. However, the oldest continuously operational dam is Lake Homs Dam , built in Syria between 1319-1304 BC. The Ancient Egyptian Sadd-el-Kafara Dam at Wadi Al-Garawi, about 25 km (16 mi) south of Cairo ,
7316-471: The circumstances of Tasmania being badly affected by the Great Depression . Ogilvie initially struggled to make an impact, flirting with Lang Labor , briefly disaffiliating from the federal party and suffering a defeat in the 1931 election . However, he led Labor back into government in the 1934 election , and proceeded to embark on a programme of public works and reversing budget cuts, securing
7440-422: The city. The masonry arch dam wall was designed by Lieutenant Percy Simpson who was influenced by the advances in dam engineering techniques made by the Royal Engineers in India . The dam cost £17,000 and was completed in 1856 as the first engineered dam built in Australia, and the second arch dam in the world built to mathematical specifications. The first such dam was opened two years earlier in France . It
7564-433: The construction of the Rideau Canal in Canada near modern-day Ottawa and built a series of curved masonry dams as part of the waterway system. In particular, the Jones Falls Dam , built by John Redpath , was completed in 1832 as the largest dam in North America and an engineering marvel. In order to keep the water in control during construction, two sluices , artificial channels for conducting water, were kept open in
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#17327733770097688-477: The country raising support for the anti-dam campaign, attempting to convince Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to intervene and override the state legislation allowing the dam's construction. British botanist and TV presenter Professor David Bellamy addressed 5,000 people at a Melbourne rally. By the end of 1982, any perception that "greenies" equated with hippies had been greatly challenged, for example in Sydney, Bob Brown and Bellamy addressed 500 people at
7812-422: The crossbench as an independent and heavily critical of his successor Harry Holgate . Ken Wriedt , former federal Minister for Foreign Affairs during the Whitlam government, announced his candidacy for state parliament and was immediately talked about as a potential Premier in the event of a close election if Holgate was unable to secure a majority due to his hostile relationship with the crossbench. Labor lost
7936-463: The culture of their own country as part of world culture, to conceive a physical, spiritual and intellectual world heritage, is important in the endeavour to avoid the destruction of humanity." The High Court ruling ended the dam's construction, and the plans have never been revived. On 5 July 1983, a Huon Pine known as the Lea Tree , over 2000 years old and about 9 feet (3 metres) across was chainsawed and set alight. Three people who are thought to be
8060-469: The dam by the water reduces the lateral (horizontal) force acting on the dam. Thus, the gravitational force required by the dam is lessened, i.e., the dam does not need to be so massive. This enables thinner dams and saves resources. A barrage dam is a special kind of dam that consists of a line of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing the dam. The gates are set between flanking piers which are responsible for supporting
8184-458: The dam was not built. The conservative-dominated Legislative Council then blocked the Labor government's 'Gordon-above-Olga' compromise, instead insisting that they proceed with the original proposal. The two parties could not agree on a solution, which led to a deadlock between the two houses of parliament. In 1981, Australian Democrats Senator Don Chipp initiated a Senate inquiry into "the natural values of south-west Tasmania to Australia and
8308-533: The dam was submitted by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc. Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. The torrid summer weather and the lack of facilities near the site also presented difficulties. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned over the dam to the federal government on 1 March 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule. By 1997, there were an estimated 800,000 dams worldwide, some 40,000 of them over 15 m (49 ft) high. In 2014, scholars from
8432-401: The dam. However, the protest movement which had gathered to fight the construction of the Lake Pedder Dam earlier in the 1970s began to reassemble in response to the announcement. The Tasmanian Wilderness Society which had formed from the anti-Lake Pedder Dam and South West Tasmania action groups, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust , and the Australian Conservation Foundation began to mount
8556-605: The dam. If large enough uplift pressures are generated there is a risk of destabilizing the concrete gravity dam. On a suitable site, a gravity dam can prove to be a better alternative to other types of dams. When built on a solid foundation, the gravity dam probably represents the best-developed example of dam building. Since the fear of flood is a strong motivator in many regions, gravity dams are built in some instances where an arch dam would have been more economical. Gravity dams are classified as "solid" or "hollow" and are generally made of either concrete or masonry. The solid form
8680-420: The dam. In April 1983 the Australian Government sent a Mirage jet and later an RF-111 , from the Royal Australian Air Force, to undertake a reconnaissance mission over the dam to gather evidence that the Tasmanian Government was not complying with Federal legislation to stop work. The issue was brought before the High Court with the first day of hearings on 31 May 1983. The government of Tasmania claimed that
8804-407: The dam. The first was near the base of the dam on its east side. A second sluice was put in on the west side of the dam, about 20 ft (6.1 m) above the base. To make the switch from the lower to upper sluice, the outlet of Sand Lake was blocked off. Hunts Creek near the city of Parramatta , Australia , was dammed in the 1850s, to cater to the demand for water from the growing population of
8928-429: The dam. The original proposal was for two dams: The idea polarised the Tasmanian community. It gained support from some sections of the community for generating jobs in an area of the state that was struggling economically. It was suggested that the construction of the dam would assist in bringing industry to Tasmania, on top of the jobs that it would create directly. The initial opinion polls showed around 70% support for
9052-450: The dams' potential range and magnitude of environmental disturbances. The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) defines a "large dam" as "A dam with a height of 15 m (49 ft) or greater from lowest foundation to crest or a dam between 5 m (16 ft) metres and 15 metres impounding more than 3 million cubic metres (2,400 acre⋅ft )". "Major dams" are over 150 m (490 ft) in height. The Report of
9176-490: The election badly, but Wriedt was elected to the House of Assembly with a far higher personal vote than Holgate and was immediately touted as a potential successor. Days later, Holgate announced that he would stand down as leader and Wriedt was elected unopposed as his successor, becoming Opposition Leader. The Labor Party was again defeated at the 1986 Tasmanian state election , performing poorly and failing to regain any seats it had lost in 1982. Wriedt stepped down following
9300-486: The election loss, and Neil Batt , a former Deputy Premier under Lowe and national president of the party, was elected unopposed to replace him. In December 1988, deputy leader Michael Field ousted Batt, who had been lagging in the polls, as party leader in a closely divided 8-7 leadership spill. Field led Labor into the 1989 Tasmanian state election , at which they won less seats than the governing Liberal Party, but were able to oust them to form minority government with
9424-540: The environmentally sensitive Franklin River , which joins with the Gordon river nearby. During the campaign against the dam, both areas were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Area register. The campaign that followed led to the consolidation of the small green movement that had been born out of a campaign against the building of three dams on Lake Pedder in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Over
9548-502: The existing National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975, and then passed the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983, which prohibited Franklin River dam-related clearing, excavation and building activities that had been authorised by Tasmanian state legislation. However, the Tasmanian government ignored both the federal regulations and legislation and continued to order work on
9672-463: The federal government from intervening by threatening to secede from the Commonwealth if they did so. The federal government initially declined to intervene in the dispute. During 1982, active membership of anti-dam organisations increased a hundredfold in mainland states. The iconic "No Dams" triangle sticker was printed. Rallies and events were held in cities around Australia. Bob Brown toured
9796-533: The federal government had no powers under the Constitution to pass either the regulations or the legislation. They claimed that as the right to legislate for the environment was not named in the Constitution, and was thus a residual power held by the states, that the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 was unconstitutional. The federal government, however, claimed (successfully) that they had
9920-528: The federal legislation was supported by the constitutional powers of a federal government to pass laws about corporations and about the people of any race (in this case the aboriginal race, whose sacred caves along the Franklin would have been inundated). The resulting court case became known as Commonwealth v Tasmania . On 1 July 1983, in a landmark decision, the High Court on circuit in Brisbane ruled by
10044-625: The first large-scale arch dams. Three pioneering arch dams were built around the British Empire in the early 19th century. Henry Russel of the Royal Engineers oversaw the construction of the Mir Alam dam in 1804 to supply water to the city of Hyderabad (it is still in use today). It had a height of 12 m (39 ft) and consisted of 21 arches of variable span. In the 1820s and 30s, Lieutenant-Colonel John By supervised
10168-742: The first was the Roman-built dam bridge in Dezful , which could raise water 50 cubits (c. 23 m) to supply the town. Also diversion dams were known. Milling dams were introduced which the Muslim engineers called the Pul-i-Bulaiti . The first was built at Shustar on the River Karun , Iran, and many of these were later built in other parts of the Islamic world . Water was conducted from
10292-432: The five years between the announcement of the dam proposal in 1978 and the axing of the plans in 1983, there was vigorous debate between the pro- and anti-dam lobbies, with large protests from both sides. In December 1982, the dam site was occupied by protesters, leading to widespread arrests and greater publicity. The dispute became a federal issue the following March, when a campaign in the national print media, assisted by
10416-534: The force of water. A fixed-crest dam is a concrete barrier across a river. Fixed-crest dams are designed to maintain depth in the channel for navigation. They pose risks to boaters who may travel over them, as they are hard to spot from the water and create induced currents that are difficult to escape. There is variability, both worldwide and within individual countries, such as in the United States, in how dams of different sizes are categorized. Dam size influences construction, repair, and removal costs and affects
10540-410: The four seats of the north-west coast, and candidates signed a pledge to support a platform. Murphy describes this campaign as heavily dependent on interstate support and offering little more than the Liberals on policy. Three Labor candidates won seats at the election: Burns, James Long and William Lamerton , and formed the first Labor caucus in state parliament. The first Labor Party conference
10664-474: The government not proceed with construction. This was the largest rally in the history of the state. The Labor state government, under premier Doug Lowe , backed down from the original proposal, and agreed to place the Franklin River in a new Wild Rivers National Park . Instead of the original 'Gordon below Franklin' proposal, Lowe now backed an alternative, the 'Gordon above Olga' scheme. While this
10788-431: The informal vote, but some were later recounted as formal as they also included a valid vote for one of the two dam options. The ongoing crisis resulted in the replacement of Lowe as premier by Harry Holgate , a Labor politician who was markedly more supportive of the dam proposals. In response, both Lowe and Mary Willey , another Labor MP, resigned from the party and sat in the parliament as independents. This resulted in
10912-456: The leadership after Bacon's resignation and led the party to a third term at the 2006 Tasmanian state election , but resigned in May 2008 amidst poor polling. David Bartlett succeeded Lennon as Premier and Labor leader and led the party to a tied result at the 2010 Tasmanian state election , with Labor losing their majority. He continued as Premier after the election in a minority government with
11036-551: The loss of a Labor majority in the lower house. Norm Sanders , an Australian Democrats MP and anti-dam campaigner, moved a no-confidence motion, and a state election was called for 15 May. In May 1982 the Holgate Labor government was defeated by the strongly pro-dam Liberal Party under Robin Gray . The new Premier immediately ordered the original plan to go ahead and passed the necessary legislation. Gray attempted to dissuade
11160-645: The main stream of the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu , South India . The basic structure dates to the 2nd century AD and is considered one of the oldest water diversion or water regulating structures still in use. The purpose of the dam was to divert the waters of the Kaveri across the fertile delta region for irrigation via canals. Du Jiang Yan is the oldest surviving irrigation system in China that included
11284-597: The nearby King River and Henty River to compensate for the loss of the potential power generation from the Franklin scheme. Further on in time, the West Coast Wilderness Railway - the reconstruction of the old Mount Lyell Abt Railway between Queenstown and Regatta point, was mainly financed by compensation funds allocated to the Tasmanian Government for the "loss" of the Franklin River or Gordon River dams. Dam A dam
11408-683: The other basic dam designs which had been unknown until then. These include arch-gravity dams , arch dams , buttress dams and multiple arch buttress dams , all of which were known and employed by the 2nd century AD (see List of Roman dams ). Roman workforces also were the first to build dam bridges, such as the Bridge of Valerian in Iran. In Iran , bridge dams such as the Band-e Kaisar were used to provide hydropower through water wheels , which often powered water-raising mechanisms. One of
11532-429: The other way about its toe. The designer ensures that the dam is heavy enough that the dam's weight wins that contest. In engineering terms, that is true whenever the resultant of the forces of gravity acting on the dam and water pressure on the dam acts in a line that passes upstream of the toe of the dam. The designer tries to shape the dam so if one were to consider the part of the dam above any particular height to be
11656-403: The party a landslide win in the 1937 election and helping to set the stage for a 35 year period of unbroken Labor rule in Tasmania from 1934 to 1969. Ogilvie died whilst still in office in 1939. Ogilvie was briefly succeeded by Edmund Dwyer-Gray , who served a six-month stint as Premier before handing over to Robert Cosgrove , a grocer who dominated the state's politics for 19 years, save for
11780-487: The party, with the elimination of bogus branches and the establishment of the state council to replace the old state conference, leading to the rise of the Broad Left faction which then controlled the party for a decade. Neilson led the party to victory in the 1976 election but then retired, being succeeded by the younger Doug Lowe . Lowe secured a comfortable victory for Labor in the 1979 election , but his premiership
11904-466: The perpetrators were photographed with the tree in the background. This photograph also shows graffiti containing expletives , which appears to be directed against environmentists on the tree. This was likely done by people who were angry that the project was cancelled. However, dam-building by the Hydro was not finished. The corporation was still able to construct a 'compromise' power development scheme on
12028-560: The pictures of photographer Peter Dombrovskis , helped bring down the government of Malcolm Fraser at the 1983 election . The new government, under Bob Hawke , had promised to stop the dam from being built. A legal battle between the federal government and Tasmanian Government followed, resulting in a landmark High Court ruling in the federal government's favour. In 1978, the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission (HEC) announced intentions to construct
12152-460: The previous day after spending nineteen days behind bars for his role in the blockade. Throughout January 1983 around fifty people arrived at the blockade each day. The state government made things difficult for the protesters, passing several laws and enforcing special bail conditions for those arrested. Bulldozers were unloaded at the site from a barge under the protection of police. A total of 1,217 arrests were made, many simply for being present at
12276-469: The primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes ) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. The word dam can be traced back to Middle English , and before that, from Middle Dutch , as seen in the names of many old cities, such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam . Ancient dams were built in Mesopotamia and
12400-607: The principles behind dam design. In France, J. Augustin Tortene de Sazilly explained the mechanics of vertically faced masonry gravity dams, and Zola's dam was the first to be built on the basis of these principles. The era of large dams was initiated with the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt in 1902, a gravity masonry buttress dam on the Nile River . Following their 1882 invasion and occupation of Egypt ,
12524-569: The rest of the country. The two main Trades and Labor Councils, in Hobart and Launceston, were badly divided along north–south lines, and were always small; they collapsed altogether in 1897 (Hobart) and 1898 (Launceston). Denis Murphy attributes the poor state of the unions to a number of factors, including a more conservative workforce, divisions between various groups of workers, the smaller nature of Tasmanian industry, heavy penalties directed against
12648-655: The right to do so, under the 'external affairs' provision of the Constitution as, by passing legislation blocking the dam's construction, they were fulfilling their responsibilities under an international treaty (the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage , Australia having signed and ratified that convention and the Franklin River having been listed on it). The Commonwealth government also argued (successfully) that
12772-512: The same day, the UNESCO committee in Paris was due to list the Tasmanian wild rivers as a World Heritage site. The blockade, at "Warners Landing" ( 42°34′7″S 145°41′24″E / 42.56861°S 145.69000°E / -42.56861; 145.69000 ) drew an estimated 2,500 people, from not only Tasmania, but also from interstate and overseas. This resulted in the subsequent proclamation of
12896-581: The state government held a referendum , the Power Referendum 1981 , in an attempt to break the deadlock. The referendum gave voters only two choices, one for each dam proposal. In rounded figures, 47% voted in favour of the original Gordon below Franklin scheme, 8% for the compromise Gordon above Olga scheme, and 45% voted informally. There had been a significant campaign for voters to write "No Dams" on their ballot papers, and in total more than 33% of voters did this; these were initially all counted in
13020-487: The state of New Mexico defines a jurisdictional dam as 25 feet or greater in height and storing more than 15 acre-feet or a dam that stores 50 acre-feet or greater and is six feet or more in height (section 72-5-32 NMSA), suggesting that dams that do not meet these requirements are non-jurisdictional. Most US dams, 2.41 million of a total of 2.5 million dams, are not under the jurisdiction of any public agency (i.e., they are non-jurisdictional), nor are they listed on
13144-687: The support of the Tasmanian Greens in an agreement known as the Accord. After a term in which the new government faced an economic recession and a fraught relationship with the Greens, the Field government was soundly defeated at the 1992 Tasmanian state election . Field remained Leader of the Opposition until 1997, when he decided to leave politics entirely. Jim Bacon , a former secretary of
13268-432: The support of the Tasmanian Greens , but resigned in May 2011 and was succeeded by his deputy, Lara Giddings . Giddings led the party in government until their defeat at the 2014 Tasmanian state election . Giddings resigned after Labor and the Greens lost government at the 2014 election and long-serving minister and former deputy leader Bryan Green assumed the Labor leadership in opposition. After consistently trailing
13392-479: The then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser , because ...we were trying to direct the attention of politicians to the area...' . It was renamed Kutikina in mid-1982, as suggested by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre . Kiernan and a group of cavers ( speleologists ) found over 100 caves in the region. Concerns also began to be raised about habitat loss for endangered species. On 12 December 1981,
13516-406: The water level and to prevent the sea from entering the marshlands. Such dams often marked the beginning of a town or city because it was easy to cross the river at such a place, and often influenced Dutch place names. The present Dutch capital, Amsterdam (old name Amstelredam ), started with a dam on the river Amstel in the late 12th century, and Rotterdam began with a dam on the river Rotte ,
13640-642: The water load, and are often used to control and stabilize water flow for irrigation systems. An example of this type of dam is the now-decommissioned Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento River near Red Bluff, California . Barrages that are built at the mouths of rivers or lagoons to prevent tidal incursions or use the tidal flow for tidal power are known as tidal barrages . Embankment dams are made of compacted earth, and are of two main types: rock-fill and earth-fill. Like concrete gravity dams, embankment dams rely on their weight to hold back
13764-581: The world is the 305 m-high (1,001 ft) Jinping-I Dam in China . As with large dams, small dams have multiple uses, such as, but not limited to, hydropower production, flood protection, and water storage. Small dams can be particularly useful on farms to capture runoff for later use, for example, during the dry season. Small scale dams have the potential to generate benefits without displacing people as well, and small, decentralised hydroelectric dams can aid rural development in developing countries. In
13888-577: The world" and "the federal responsibility in assisting Tasmania to preserve its wilderness areas of national and international importance". From early 1981, archaeologists uncovered evidence of human habitation dating from about 15,000 years before present in caves which would be flooded if the dam were to be built. The most significant cave had been rediscovered by geomorphology student Kevin Kieran in January 1977, and he first named it Fraser Cave after
14012-548: Was 102 m (335 ft) long at its base and 87 m (285 ft) wide. The structure was built around 2800 or 2600 BC as a diversion dam for flood control, but was destroyed by heavy rain during construction or shortly afterwards. During the Twelfth Dynasty in the 19th century BC, the Pharaohs Senosert III, Amenemhat III , and Amenemhat IV dug a canal 16 km (9.9 mi) long linking
14136-459: Was able to lead the party back into government at the next election in 1972 , he stepped down from office in 1975. Reece's replacement, Bill Neilson , had to deal with the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis leading to the fall of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam , as well as the struggle between the state and federal parties regarding the expulsion of right-winger Brian Harradine . Neilson's tenure as leader also saw democratisation and reform of
14260-599: Was able to secure a reasonable level of finance from the federal government. He also managed to obtain approval from the state's Administrator for a budget which had been blocked by the Tasmanian Legislative Council , although the Council retained its right to block supply in the subsequent constitutional settlement. Lyons and Labor were defeated in the 1928 election . Former state Attorney-General Albert Ogilvie succeeded Lyons as Labor leader in
14384-439: Was above the Gordon's junction with the Franklin, it still would have intruded into wilderness quality areas. This compromise did not appease the environmental groups, who maintained a policy of no dams in southwest Tasmania. In July, both the pro-dam and anti-dam groups (the former of which also included the union movement) initiated an advertising blitz in Tasmania. The HEC claimed that up to 10,000 potential jobs would be lost if
14508-613: Was accompanied by the caption "Could you vote for a party that will destroy this?". Folk rock singer Shane Howard from the band Goanna wrote " Let the Franklin Flow ", and released it in April 1983. It was performed by members of his band and members of folk band Redgum under the pseudonym, Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble. It was released as a single with a B-side, "Franklin River – World Heritage", written and recorded by Bob Brown. On 5 March 1983,
14632-560: Was built. The system included 16 reservoirs, dams and various channels for collecting water and storing it. One of the engineering wonders of the ancient world was the Great Dam of Marib in Yemen . Initiated sometime between 1750 and 1700 BC, it was made of packed earth – triangular in cross-section, 580 m (1,900 ft) in length and originally 4 m (13 ft) high – running between two groups of rocks on either side, to which it
14756-405: Was held in June 1903, and future Premier John Earle became the first party president. A fourth MP, Jens Jensen , took the Labor pledge at the conference. The new branch faced further problems due to the need to campaign for the 1903 federal election in December, a campaign which suffered from severe financial difficulties and sluggish organising. O'Malley was re-elected, but Labor candidates for
14880-488: Was linked by substantial stonework. Repairs were carried out during various periods, most importantly around 750 BC, and 250 years later the dam height was increased to 7 m (23 ft). After the end of the Kingdom of Saba , the dam fell under the control of the Ḥimyarites (c. 115 BC) who undertook further improvements, creating a structure 14 m (46 ft) high, with five spillways, two masonry-reinforced sluices,
15004-404: Was possibly the world's first concrete arch dam. Designed by Henry Charles Stanley in 1880 with an overflow spillway and a special water outlet, it was eventually heightened to 10 m (33 ft). In the latter half of the nineteenth century, significant advances in the scientific theory of masonry dam design were made. This transformed dam design from an art based on empirical methodology to
15128-461: Was the first French arch dam of the industrial era , and it was built by François Zola in the municipality of Aix-en-Provence to improve the supply of water after the 1832 cholera outbreak devastated the area. After royal approval was granted in 1844, the dam was constructed over the following decade. Its construction was carried out on the basis of the mathematical results of scientific stress analysis. The 75-miles dam near Warwick , Australia,
15252-616: Was the largest masonry dam in the world. The Hoover Dam is a massive concrete arch-gravity dam , constructed in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River , on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression . In 1928, Congress authorized the project to build a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power . The winning bid to build
15376-488: Was undone by the Franklin Dam controversy when his attempt to backtrack on the proposal by proposing an alternative location for the dam further up the Gordon River alienated both left-wing unions and the conservative Legislative Council. Going into the 1982 Tasmanian state election in May 1982, the Labor Party had lost its majority and faced bitter internal divisions, with former leader and Premier Lowe sitting on
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