Turnbull does U-turn on using recycled water for drinking ...

Large headline in today's Chronicle:

Turnbull does U-turn on using recycled water for drinking

Detailed article on the apparent about face by Malcolm Turnbull on using recycled water for drinking.

And Deputy Mayor Ramia, after being jubilant at Mr Turnbull's appointment is now worried.

As with any politician, there are two questions to ask - (1) are you in favour of recycling? and (2) are you in favour of using recycled water for drinking?

Some excerpts:

A recent statement shows Mr Turnbull's revised opinion in which he declares his support of the method of recycling sewage but rejects that the cleaned up water should be added to a city's drinking supply.

"From a practical point of view there is simply no need to introduce recycled water into the potable water system," he said.

"There are ample uses for recycled water: industrial, parks, gardens, street cleaning and above all, replenishing the stream flows of our rivers and thereby replacing the potable water currently released into them."

Toowoomba City Council water portfolio chair Joe Ramia said this statement worried him, particularly as Mr Turnbull was last Friday sworn in to his new position and will be working closely with the man who will decide whether to grant funding to Toowoomba's Water Futures sewage recycling proposal.

Mr Turnbull said it was up to individual communities like Toowoomba to decide whether or not they wanted to drink recycled water.

"I think Malcolm Turnbull has had a change of heart," Cr Ramia said, admitting his disappointment. "At the end of the day it does worry me.

"I was ecstatic when I found out he was appointed (to the position of parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, responsible for water policy)," Cr Ramia said.

"I'm not as ecstatic now, but I'd still rather see him in the job than someone who doesn't support recycling at all."

See the full article - Cr Ramia now disappointed.