STATE Government bureaucrats altered a draft copy of this year's budget speech to significantly revise down the number of jobs Tillegra Dam was expected create.
The draft copy, which the NSW Coalition obtained through freedom of information laws, shows the speech initially said: "Look at Tillegra Dam a $406 million investment" and "It will create 1849 construction jobs." Handwritten notes on the draft copy indicated that the $406 million figure should be revised to $477 million.
The reference to creating 1849 jobs was revised to read "support 280 jobs". Treasurer Eric Roozendaal used the revised figures in this year's budget speech.
Shadow minister for natural resource management Katrina Hodgkinson said the draft speech showed that the figure of 1850 jobs was fundamentally incorrect.
"Minister Costa's [water minister Phil Costa] adherence to the mirage of Tillegra Dam job creation shows that he is desperately trying to defend the indefensible dam by continuing to pedal unsustainable and incorrect information," she said.
"If Tillegra Dam is to create almost 2000, jobs I challenge the Minister to publicly release the documentation supporting his claims."
A summary brochure released as part of the Tillegra Dam environmental assessment report says the dam will result in the "creation of 280 direct jobs and around 1850 other jobs across the region."
No Tillegra Dam spokeswoman Sally Corbett said more sustainable employment would flow to the region from 90 farms and their staff if the dam was not built.
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