12:00a.m. 28th May 2008

| By Blythe Seinor

Traveston Dam protesters are fighting Environment Minister Peter Garrett on his home turf.

More than 10,000 households in his Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith were delivered leaflets over the weekend which asked residents to put pressure on Mr Garrett about the proposed dam.

The Greater Mary Association’s Tanzi Smith, one of the volunteers, said the idea was to “make sure Peter Garrett feels more pressure at home”.

“So the people who vote for him are aware of this issue, and hopefully some of them send him a letter,’’ Ms Smith said.

She said 2000 more leaflets would be distributed in coming days.

“A lot of people in Sydney already know about this issue, and hopefully this will raise it in the consciousness of people and take it one step further to the national issue it ought to be.”

The final decision about the Traveston Dam will rest with the federal environment minister, who is expected to receive an impact assessment from the Queensland government some time in the next few months.

A spokesman from Mr Garrett’s office said he would make his decision after he had considered the report, and information in more than 15,000 public submissions.

Photo Gallery: Peter Garrett visits Traveston Dam site

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Mr Garrett visited the site in March to meet with local mayors, and the spokesperson said he might visit the area again before a decision is made.

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Mr Garrett is required to consider the potential impacts of the dam on matters of national environmental significance.