'No' case comes at no cost ...

From the Chronicle:

27 May 2006

'No' case comes at no cost

Both official sides of water recycling argument to be released on Monday

by Susan Searle

The 'No' case statement for the July 29 water recycling poll in Toowoomba was lodged yesterday at no cost to ratepayers.

Cr Graham Barron last night announced he and his two "renegade" colleagues charged with pushing the "No" vote - Crs Lyle Shelton and Keith Beer - would not claim any of the $5,000 allocated.

Both sides had their 1000-word statements of the case for and against the referendum question delivered to returning officer Graham Taylor by 5pm.

Toowoomba City Council, on a 6-3 vote, has come in for a lot of criticism for agreeing to spend $480,000 to promote the "yes" case only.

Proponents [sic] of the Water Futures project cried foul, declaring the one-sided campaign, now unfolding, was unfair.

Just $10,000 was set aside, $5,000 each, for the compilation of the mandatory 1,000-word "yes" and "No" statements which must be circulated to voters before the election [sic].

Last night, Cr Barron said he and Cr Shelton had spent two weeks doing extensive research on alternative options to promote the "No" case.

Cr Beer has just returned from the world McDonald's conference in the United States.

"In fairness to the ratepayers of the city, Lyle and I worked very hard on it, we got it put together and we won't be charging for it.

"We've got no intention of putting in a claim."

"We had tremendous community support," he said. And they are confident they can fend off the proposal to put recycled water in the potable water supply with 982 words.

But the "Yes" and No" statements will not be released until Monday.

Government funding for the $68 million project, both federal and State, hinges on community support for the project.

The Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary for Water, Malcolm Turnbull, ruled the best way to gauge that was to put it to the vote.

So council has budgeted $300,000 for the poll and returning officer Graham Taylor was appointed.

And come July 29, Toowoomba residents will be asked: Do you support the addition of purified water to Toowoomba's water supply via Cooby Dam as proposed by the Water Futures Toowoomba project?

Voting will be compulsory.