Recycled sewage - Federal Labor flip flops too ...

Federal opposition environmental spokesman, MP Albanese shows that Federal Labor is just as good at policy flip flops as Premier Beattie.

In March 2006, MP Albanese castigated Federal MP (and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister on Water Issues) Malcolm Turnbull for forcing Toowoomba to proceed with its referendum.

See - Turnbull washes his hands of Toowoomba water recycling decision - 24 March 2006.

MP Albanese has now announced:

Nearly one-third of Australia's waste water would be recycled under an ambitious Labor plan to revolutionise water usage by 2015.

The recycled water would be used in factories and irrigation, not sent to households or used as drinking water unless communities chose to do so.

See - Federal Labor backflips - 23 August 2006.

So, it's up to the communities to decide? But isn't this what MP Turnbull has said since anouncing that Toowoomba's NWC funding for the controversial Water Futures project was subject to a number of conditions including majority approval via a referendum?

Seems Federal Labor has decided that recycled sewage water for potable use is a non-starter with the electorate and that there are many uses for it before needing to force people to drink it.

MP Albanese goes on to say:

"We must build the infrastructure we need to reuse water for non-drinking purposes, such as watering parks and gardens, and for industrial and commercial purposes," he will tell the Australian Financial Review National Infrastructure Summit.

"For most of Australia, recycling water for potable use is unnecessary and a distraction from the need to progress reform."

See - Federal Labor backflips - 23 August 2006.

This seems curiously similar to the Queensland opposition's recycling policy and is somewhat at odds with Premier Beattie's stance on the issue - depending on what day it is ...