Commerce Qld - Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council ...

Press release by Commerce Qld (emphasis added):

Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council

21 June 2006

Recent debate results have indicated the Toowoomba community is swinging towards a ‘no’ vote at the upcoming Water Futures Project referendum, reinforcing the need for other options.

Commerce Queensland is again calling for the Toowoomba City Council to show their hand and divulge a ‘Plan B’ instead of jeopardising the city’s future by refusing to lock an alternative plan into place.

Commerce Queensland South West Regional Chairman, Ken Murphy, said Council’s ongoing acknowledgement that they have no back up plan, highlights their contempt for the community and willingness to put Toowoomba’s future at risk.

“At last week’s debate, Council again confirmed there is no Plan B,” Mr Murphy said.

“Somebody needs to give the Council a few tips on good planning and management. It is not acceptable for them to sit on their hands and blackmail people into voting their way.”

The debate’s affirmative team suggested that the ‘yuck factor’ perception among the community was due to the dissemination of incorrect information by third parties. To counteract this, the Council has seen fit to allocate several senior staff plus $460,000 of ratepayers’ money to produce misleading statements designed to change residents’ minds.

Mr Murphy said the true cost will come in convincing those outside of Toowoomba that the water supply is ‘safe’.

“How much of ratepayers’ money will continue to be wasted? If it costs that much to convince people locally, I hate to think what will be wasted trying to convince interstate and international customers and tourists that recycled sewerage is safe to drink and use in production?” Mr Murphy said.

“What about workers and families outside of Toowoomba? How much will it cost to convince them to move here instead of other areas already promoting their clean fresh water alternatives?”

Commerce Queensland will continue to push Council and their team of experts to spend time preparing a backup plan, rather than attempting to scare the community into believing Toowoomba will run out of water or that other options are too costly.

Source - Commerce Qld - Time to divulge ‘Plan B’ Toowoomba City Council.


Mayor Thorley's community engagement strategy is clearly working.

She has managed to convince Commerce Qld, whose mission is to deliver business solutions and financial success to Queensland industry, that the Water Futures project is misleading and a Toowoomba City Council scare campaign to force Toowoomba residents to accept drinking recycled sewage.

Well done!

Perhaps she needs to offer them some (ratepayer-funded) free movie passes.

Once again, the recycled water companies shrug their shoulders and wonder how long it will take to repair the damage done by Mayor Thorley and her team.

For more Commerce Qld press releases, see - Commerce Qld Toowoomba and SW Qld press releases.