The South-East Queensland Water Recycling Plebiscite Bill 2006 ...

Read the Bill here: Queensland Water Recycling Plebiscite Bill 2006.

A few details:

Referendum date: 17 March 2007

Council areas included: Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Caboolture, Caloundra, Cooloola, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Kilcoy, Laidley, Logan, Maroochy, Noosa, Pine Rivers, Redcliffe, Redland and Toowoomba.

Note - the legislation will permit the addition of other Council areas. However, at this stage, shires which purchase Toowoomba water (Jondaryan, Crows Nest, Rosalie) are once again excluded. They weren't happy at being excluded last time - how will they feel second time around?

Information Role: Queensland Water Commission.

Note: so the process is 'not politicised', the QWC will prepare the material in support and against the proposition. So the QWC will prepare both the Yes and No cases. That WILL be interesting.

Referendum question - to be prepared by the QWC and submitted to Parliament at its first sitting in 2007.

Note: Parliament does not sit again until 6 February 2007. So there will around 6 weeks from finalising the referendum question until polling day.

Voting - compulsory.

Recycled water - possible introduction date - late 2008.

Note: so no testing period.

Size of project - third largest in the world.

Note: expect a hefty percentage of Wivenhoe Dam water to be recycled water - may even exceed Toowoomba's 25%.

Referendum cost - around $10 million.

Result - Yes wins with 50% plus one vote

Binding/Non-binding - result is not binding on the State government.

Note: even with a No vote, Beattie may go ahead with the project - the pipes have been purchased!

See - Hansard - 30 November 2006.

Interestingly, Deputy Premier Bligh then went on to say that the government is seeking the views on using 'purified recycled water' which meets 'all health and safety standards'.

Only problem is that there are currently NO guidelines for the use of recycled water for potable use.

Deputy Premier Bligh then went on to provide some helpful examples to Parliament:

- Orange County - sorry, not completed.

- Virginia - sorry, that State wants to move away from unplanned reuse towards use for non-potable purposes only.

- Singapore - currently running at 1%.

- Windhoek, Namibia - sorry, discredited - plant plagued with problems.

She then went on to justify recycled water by providing some unplanned reuse examples.

It's as if the Deputy Premier missed the whole Toowoomba debate altogether!

She's using the same examples used by the Toowoomba City Council and they went down in a screaming heap.

Has the State government learnt nothing from the Toowoomba fiasco?

Seems not ...