Premier Beattie tries to salvage his election chances ..

Premier Beattie has announced that he wants a wider referendum on drinking recycled sewage to coincide with the local government elections in 2008.

He does NOT want to hold it at the time of the State election early next year.

Although this may just be Premier Beattie's Saturday night flip flopping, he seems to be trying to isolate himself from an election backlash at the next State election.

Knowing Toowoomba's NO vote success (and his own private polling), he is aware that recycled sewage is a turkey come election time.

Here's a quote from Premier Beattie on 60 Minutes last week (23 July 2006):

RAY MARTIN: Premier, what would happen if tonight on 60 Minutes you said, "Sorry, Brisbane, you've got to cop it. We're about to... "

PETER BEATTIE: I'd probably get shot politically. That's what would happen.

See - 60 Minutes - Waste water.

He knows it so is trying to get some space between the recycled sewage issue and the State election.

The Mayors are obviously not impressed by Premier Beattie trying to make it into a local government election issue - fearful of 'feather-duster' status.

From ABC News (annotated):

Recycled water vote needed urgently: mayors

30 July 2006

South-east Queensland mayors have attacked Premier Peter Beattie's plan to hold a referendum in 2008 on the use of recycled effluent for drinking water in the region.

Mr Beattie announced the referendum after 60 per cent of Toowoomba residents voted against topping up their city's water supply with recycled sewage.

The Brisbane region's dams are at 28 per cent capacity, with level four water restrictions expected to come into force at the end of August.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says the water crisis is so critical that Mr Beattie should hold the referendum as soon as possible.

"What we need now is strong leadership," he said.

"The Premier will get the support of local government to take the necessary decisions, but trying to cloud the issue at a local government election just isn't on.

"If they need to have a referendum, hold it now, hold it in the next few months, hold it at the state election, but don't put off such a vital decision for 20 months."

Mr Newman says leaving the vote so long is a political game.

"Water supply security planning is a State Government responsibility," he said.

"The Premier and the State Government need to tell the community how serious the water supply situation is right now and they need to make decisions right now.

"Putting off decisions until March 2008 is simply not on - it's a bit of a political game."

But Mr Beattie says the region can afford to wait until 2008 to put the issue to referendum.
"I think the water grid strategy, provided we build dams and build pipelines and have desalination, we can get by without using recycled water for drinking," he said.

An outspoken supporter of the 'no' campaign in Toowoomba says Mr Beattie will find it impossible to convince people that drinking recycled effluent is okay.

Rosemary Morley, from Citizens Against Drinking Sewage (CADS), says the Premier would be defeated if he went to a state election trying to sell the idea.

She says it is not surprising he wants the referendum to be held during local government elections.

"I think you'll find every mayor that has to look at that will be throwing it straight back at Mr Beattie and if he really wants to do it - do it at his state election where it can be fought on the grounds that he set out," he said.

But Toowoomba Mayor Di Thorley says with education, people can be convinced that recycled effluent is safe to drink.

She says Mr Beattie has 20 months to campaign.

"When you consider we had three months in which to sell a contentious issue and got 40 per cent of the vote, I think you'll find with more education they'll be able to get it over the line," Ms Thorley said.

[No Mayor Thorley, you had from March 2004 to convince the Toowoomba public. The Council's plan was to bring the project in secretly between elections. It slipped out into the public arena in July 2005 - so don't pretend you only had three months - that sort of lame excuse just won't work.]

See - ABC News - Mayors don't want to vote on it.