Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he does not plan to push for a dam to be built on the Daly River in the Northern Territory if the Liberals take power in September.
Mr Abbott has said he wants to fast-track development in northern Australia, and that includes damming some rivers and using the stored water for irrigation.
“This idea that all dams are bad all the time is just wrong; it’s a bit of dam phobia,” he said.
Mr Abbott told ABC local radio in Darwin that further damming of the Ord in Western Australia is a possibility, as well as dams in central and northern Queensland.
He said the Daly River is not one of the waterways being considered.
“I think there are a lot of question marks over the Daly River,” he said.
Mr Abbott said the Territory does need to examine ways it can manage what he says are “restrictive” land use requirements, so land can be opened up for development.
The federal Coalition’s development proposals envisage northern Australia becoming a “food bowl” for Asia.