Mayor Thorley - running out of scare tactics ...
The Mayor's latest "scare tactic" statement to mislead the community is in today's Australian:
"Ms Thorley said water charges could rise 400 per cent if water had to be piped in from other regions. "
See - Town to vote on drinking sewage.
If Mayor Thorley has ANY basis whatsoever for making this statement, she should provide the evidence.
The one benefit of the Mayor continuing to make these statements is they are easy to contradict thereby exposing more of her lies.
Comments from Commerce Qld:
“Based on approximately 30,000 ratepayers, even at Council’s inflated values, the Condamine Alluvium project would only cost an extra $117 per rate payer. That is less than 32 cents a day. The cheapest is not always the best option. The region’s reputation is at stake and 32 cents may be a small price to pay,” Mr Murphy said.
"Council has also been quick to disregard Queensland Gas Company’s proposal to invest large sums of money to assist with drought proofing South West Queensland." - Commerce Queensland Press Release, 29 November 2005
Even on the Council's own "massaged" figures, the cost differential is nowhere near 400%.
The Mayor's current problem is she is running out of scare tactics - she can no longer say there are no other options, she can no longer say the water will run out - so she will try to scare Toowoomba residents by saying water prices will skyrocket under other options.
And this from a Council which is currently reviewing water charges.
And from a Council which wants to introduce recycled sewage for drinking because it's a money-spinner!
The real issue is how long will the Toowoomba community put up with such conduct?
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 7:19 AM
20 Comments:
Yeah, 400% for piped water and 4000% for the running cost of the recycling plant. It's a known fact that Toowoomba rates will increase dramtically once the plant is operational.. I am not prepared to $5.00 KL for my water, which is recycled and I am paying for over and over. I would be prepared to 400% for piped water then drink shit water, you can't recycle something over and over and keep it's quality.
It's about time Thorley just pissed off from this town, her obsession with SHIT is far worse then the town running dry.
11:53 AM, March 25, 2006
'Mayor Di Thorley said all other options had been considered and rejected, and she would fight any "scare campaign" with the facts.'
So she's still going on about there being no other options - despite sitting down with Beattie to discuss them, Beattie working on other options, the opposition working on other options, Water Facts working on other options.
The only scare campaign is the mayor's - and she will be matched with facts everytime she lies.
2:50 PM, March 25, 2006
We need to present the information on the internet and in leaflets for the people of Toowoomba to peruse and then challenge the Mayor to rebuke the facts in a court of law!
3:07 PM, March 25, 2006
Every time she lies, she's probably breaching the Councillors Code of Conduct - she should be held accountable.
3:13 PM, March 25, 2006
Thorley can drink out of the toilet for all i care. why should the rest of toowoomba do the same!!! I agree with jay!!! thorley please go away!!! I think she should stop being soo narrowed mined about this issue! there ARE alternatives!!!
3:27 PM, March 25, 2006
The Commerce Queensland comments on 29 November 2005, that the Condamine Alluvium alternative would cost only an additional $117 per year based on 30,000 ratepayers was out be a factor of 10. the actual additional cost of that alternative is more in the vicinity of $1100 per year based on 30,000 ratepayers.
I guess the spread of mis-nformation is fairly easy to do by all parties...
6:34 PM, March 25, 2006
We'll all be lab rats!
8:57 PM, March 25, 2006
Who says the Commerce Qld information is out by a factor of 10? The Council?
How about an independent assessment of the alternatives?
The Council has been asked to agree to this for 9 months.
But they refuse - because they know that their recycled sewage project isn't the best alternative.
The Council loves to tell you about how much other options will cost but they don't tell you about the $66 million hole in their project - how that extra money will need to be spent upfront if Acland Coal doesn't take the RO waste stream - or upon Acland Coal mine closure, possibly as early as 2018.
They think that if they gloss over things like that, the public won't notice.
Why do you think the Council refused to hand over the NWC application until a Freedom of Information request was made, i.e. until they were legally required to provide it?
This is a Council which hides the facts from the public - remember that when you vote on the referendum.
9:09 PM, March 25, 2006
The council is way ahead in the misinformation game.
9:27 PM, March 25, 2006
The Hurdles that this council will have to over come are huge. The guidelines are not even in place for the people to drink reclaimed sewage water.
Please check waterfutures blog.
11:12 PM, March 25, 2006
“Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce president Ian Anderson said the group of regional mayors was concerned that Toowoomba City Council’s plan to recycle water for human consumption had been forced upon the south-west without first allowing an open discussion of possible alternatives. “The Mayor, (Dianne Thorley) keeps saying there are no other options”, Mr Anderson said. “But there are.” He said Toowoomba City Council’s Water Futures project, which was yet to receive the funding nod from the Prime Minister had been forced without compromise on an unreceptive community.” - Toowoomba Chronicle 27 January 2006
12:14 PM, March 26, 2006
The hurdles the council have to over come before a referendum are HUGE!!
They have to get legislation in place re drinking recycled sewage water because there are none now.
The Gowrie Creek people have to have their case satisfied and who knows what will happen with the Hampton Irrigators!
The best thing that could happen is that Peter Beattie gets on with getting the water to the people.
12:26 PM, March 26, 2006
“Thus, the recycled water would represent 26% of the total yield or 29% of the water supply to Mt Kynoch. This ratio of recycled water is high by international standards and will need detailed review and further studies.” CH2M Hill - TCC NWC application.
NOWHERE else in the world uses this amount of recycled water for drinking. Even the Council's own advisers think this is uncharted territory!
12:41 PM, March 26, 2006
Beattie should come clean about plan B asap.
12:42 PM, March 26, 2006
Just a quick note: If we only have years even months of water left, what use is the recycling plant, since it won't be opperational until 2010, and it will most likly take coby dam offline during the test period.. So what's going on, how can the mayor even think of doing this if it's going to take sooooooo long when we are in demand NOW~!
The only scare tatic is the Water Futures bookle... There is no information about all the chemicals it won't filter, and the book even states that "Polyaromatic hydrocarbons" from seam gas can have an effect on desaltination process, so what else could also possbily have an effect?
If the water is such called 6 star water, then why pump into dams, why not directly into the pipe line, because there is no garantee that it will be safe, and putting in the dam is putting blame else where when something does go wrong anf will go wrong.
I'm not subjecting myself and my family to such scare tatics and lies thorely has been spitting out.
I seek legal advice to make her pay for my bottled water or even moving expense, since she puplically said that if you don't like the idea, but bottled water or get a tank! We're not all as rich as you thorely. It's easy to say just buy bottled water or get a tank when you can give yourself a pay rise when ever you need ectra dosh.
Say NO to thorely and vote her out of Toowoomba, PERIOD.
5:15 PM, March 26, 2006
Comment on the 7.30 Report feedback page:
http://www2b.abc.net.au/guestbookcentral/list.asp?guestbookID=156
9:39 PM, March 26, 2006
If the Mayor had any sense, she would stop all this nonsense and start listening to the community.
We'll go to expense of the referendum to tell her what she already knows - the community does not want to drink her recycled sewage.
5:59 PM, March 27, 2006
It is strange how people that don't live here and aren't under threat of having to drink recycled effluent can get there socks of by being all for it and saying it is okay. The real truth is that it could be used elswhere not in domestic supply and we could still get the same water saving advantages from it. Why risk contaminating an entire cities water supply when it could be used for non-domestic sources.
Of course this option would be more expensive to implement, but what cost to we need to put on our dams water security. Accidents and problems arising from a completely new technology are not worth the risk when you throw it into the context of a whole cities water supply during an extreme period of drought.
5:59 PM, March 27, 2006
What price do you put on peace of mind?
6:06 PM, March 27, 2006
How many of these so called experts have come to town to say their 5 year old would drink it etc - but are they moving to Toowoomba - No.
Are Turnbull, Albanese and Bartlett moving to Toowoomba - No.
6:10 PM, March 27, 2006
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