Qld Coalition response to Premier Beattie's "independent" review ...

Press Release:

Beattie has no credibility on recycled water

13 July 2006

Premier Beattie needs to explain why drinking recycled sewage water is his “Armageddon solution” for Brisbane residents but it is his preferred option for Toowoomba, the Queensland Coalition said today.

Shadow Natural Resources Minister Jeff Seeney called on Mr Beattie to release all the secret reports the State Government had commissioned on recycled water, including reports on pumping recycled sewage water into the Wivenhoe Dam.

“Mr Beattie is happy to spend billions of dollars on new dams to ensure the people in his own inner city Brisbane electorate don’t have to drink recycled water, but will only spend $23 million so Toowoomba residents do have to drink recycled sewage water,” he said.

“Until Mr Beattie explains why he has one view on drinking recycled water for Toowoomba and a different view for Brisbane, then he has absolutely no credibility on this issue.”

Mr Seeney said the report Mr Beattie released today did not examine a new option proposed in the Coalition’s Toowoomba water plan – leasing water from Condamine irrigators without seeking recycled water in return.

“The State Government report only examines sourcing water from irrigators in return for recycled water, which is not what the Coalition is proposing,” he said.

“The Coalition is proposing to develop a single pipeline and long term, flexible contracts to enable up to 5000 megalitres of potable water currently used for irrigation in the Darling Downs region to be leased by the Toowoomba City Council.

“Irrigators have obtained specialist technical advice and quotes for this project which show this project is very cost effective with a total cost of just $40 million.

“The capital cost to the Toowoomba City Council after the contribution by a Coalition Government is just $13 million compared with the $18 million council contribution to the Water Futures project.”

Mr Seeney said the State Government report’s examination of coal seam gas water had been limited to a “desk top appraisal” with “no further information sourced from coal seam gas producers”.

“The lazy Beattie Labor Government has only had officers sit at their desks in Brisbane to examine the use of coal seam gas water. They haven’t done any on-the-ground investigations or even talked to the coal seam gas producers,” he said.

“The Coalition acknowledges that the funding we have set aside for both the coal seam gas pipeline and Emu Creek Dam is an initial allocation subject to detailed planning and investigations, work the lazy Labor Government hasn’t done.”

Mr Seeney said he expected Mr Beattie to adopt elements of the Coalition’s Toowoomba water policy in coming weeks.

“The Coalition released a south-east Queensland water policy in May which Mr Beattie criticised initially before adopting several elements of our plan, including water rebates, mandatory rainwater tanks in new homes and the construction of Wyaralong Dam,” he said.

“The reason south-east Queensland and the Toowoomba region are facing a water crisis is the Beattie Labor Government’s eight years of neglect and inaction. It’s time Mr Beattie showed some leadership and committed some real dollars to help Toowoomba overcome its water problems.”