Tasmanian Dams Case
Newspaper article about the result of the Tasmanian Dams Case. 1983.
2 sections
In 1978 the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission, then owned by the Tasmanian Government, developed a proposal to construct a dam to be used for electricity generation.
Two sites were considered - the Franklin Dam or the Gordon-below-Franklin Dam on the Gordon River. A referendum (the 'Power Referendum') was held on Saturday 12 December 1981, giving voters a choice between the 2 locations.
There was not an option to vote 'no'.
33% of the ballot papers had the phrase 'No Dams' written across them, which meant those ballot papers became informal votes and could not be counted.
Newspaper article about the result of the Tasmanian Dams Case. 1983.
Personal story of an anti-dam protestor, recalling his protest resultant arrest, court case through to his current role as the Parks and Reserve Manager in the Tasmanian wilderness. The Learning Federation ID R9382 (use your Scootle Login to access)
Learning and Teaching suggestion - Opportunity for rich discussion around personal conviction, how change and opportunity are interrelated and students' reactions to the story.
3 short clips from this documentary with accompanying educational notes.
3 clips from this documentary recording one man's personal journey down the Franklin, with accompanying educational notes.
An historic photo from the National Archives of Australia, with accompanying educational notes.
Bob Brown returns to the Gordon River in Tasmania, 30 years after the Franklin River blockade
Discovering Democracy resource – an annotated slideshow of photographs of various aspects of the campaign. The Learning Federation ID L9525 (use your Scootle Login to access)
Brief Case Study of environmental law as posted by QUT faculty member. Includes photographs and numerous scanned documents.
Brief overview of the Dam referendum, with a photo and some interesting links.
This content is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any other purpose.