Premier Beattie - fiddling while SEQ dried up ...
There is little doubt that the Qld Labor government has exacerbated the current water crisis in SEQ, either deliberately or by lack of action.
Excerpt from the Courier Mail:
State ignored water warning
7 March 2007
A blueprint for shielding southeast Queensland from a looming water crisis was handed to the State Government six years ago but ignored.
The extensive report was commissioned by the Department of Natural Resources and made wide-ranging recommendations to reduce spiralling water usage.
The recommendations included an extensive rebate regime for water-wise products, subsidised household and business efficiency audits, transparent water pricing and a program to reduce leaking pipes.
Many of the recommended actions were introduced only last year, some identical to what the report originally suggested, as the southeast descended into a water crisis and a state election loomed.
Water Minister Craig Wallace, who was not in Parliament when the report was commissioned, last night attempted to distance the Government from its own report.
Mr Wallace said it had been aimed at assisting local councils, not the State Government, in water management.
However, Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney described the report as the smoking gun of the water crisis which proved the Government had been warned to address the issue but had done nothing.
"Labor asked for this report and then promptly ignored the advice it provided," he said. "If Premier Peter Beattie had followed the advice of this report in 2000, Queensland would not be in the situation it is today."
A high-level department source said the report cost about $300,000 and its recommendations were now the basis for what the Government was doing.
Written in 2000 by multinational consultants Montgomery Watson, the report warned of significant increases in demand for water across Queensland over the next 20 years based on the five diverse communities it studied.
See - Courier Mail - Beattie spends $300,000 on report then shelves it.
Read the Report - State government urban water use report - executive summary.
Premier Beattie's reaction?
He was too busy playing games in State parliament yesterday:
Mr Beattie: "The Leader of the Opposition is against everything. I reckon you are against Christmas. I reckon you are so negative that you are against Christmas."
Acting Speaker: "Order! Premier, please direct your comments through the chair."
Mr Beattie: "Through you, Mr Acting Speaker -- I reckon you are against Santa Claus. I reckon you are against the Easter bunny. You are against Christmas and you are against Easter."
See - Gold Coast Bulletin - 'Proud' day for politics.
Amazing ...
State ignored water warning
7 March 2007
A blueprint for shielding southeast Queensland from a looming water crisis was handed to the State Government six years ago but ignored.
The extensive report was commissioned by the Department of Natural Resources and made wide-ranging recommendations to reduce spiralling water usage.
The recommendations included an extensive rebate regime for water-wise products, subsidised household and business efficiency audits, transparent water pricing and a program to reduce leaking pipes.
Many of the recommended actions were introduced only last year, some identical to what the report originally suggested, as the southeast descended into a water crisis and a state election loomed.
Water Minister Craig Wallace, who was not in Parliament when the report was commissioned, last night attempted to distance the Government from its own report.
Mr Wallace said it had been aimed at assisting local councils, not the State Government, in water management.
However, Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney described the report as the smoking gun of the water crisis which proved the Government had been warned to address the issue but had done nothing.
"Labor asked for this report and then promptly ignored the advice it provided," he said. "If Premier Peter Beattie had followed the advice of this report in 2000, Queensland would not be in the situation it is today."
A high-level department source said the report cost about $300,000 and its recommendations were now the basis for what the Government was doing.
Written in 2000 by multinational consultants Montgomery Watson, the report warned of significant increases in demand for water across Queensland over the next 20 years based on the five diverse communities it studied.
See - Courier Mail - Beattie spends $300,000 on report then shelves it.
Read the Report - State government urban water use report - executive summary.
Premier Beattie's reaction?
He was too busy playing games in State parliament yesterday:
Mr Beattie: "The Leader of the Opposition is against everything. I reckon you are against Christmas. I reckon you are so negative that you are against Christmas."
Acting Speaker: "Order! Premier, please direct your comments through the chair."
Mr Beattie: "Through you, Mr Acting Speaker -- I reckon you are against Santa Claus. I reckon you are against the Easter bunny. You are against Christmas and you are against Easter."
See - Gold Coast Bulletin - 'Proud' day for politics.
Amazing ...
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 1:31 PM
2 Comments:
And Anna Bligh's response:
Ms Bligh says the Government had its priorities right.
"Those who suggest that at a time when the dams were above 90 per cent, that we should have put funds other than unemployment are nothing short of economic knuckleheads," she said.
Surely infrastructure projects at that time would have CREATED employment or is that an economic knucklehead suggestion Anna?
5:31 PM, March 07, 2007
Excerpt from the Courier Mail:
Mr Beattie said the Government had more pressing priorities when the report was released in 2000 and local councils were responsible for acting on its recommendations anyway.
...
Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said the study was co-ordinated by three state departments and designed to help the Beattie Government's own water policy decisions.
"LGAQ does not have a copy or appear to have received a copy of the draft report or otherwise," he said.
Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said the Government had achieved the perfect balance – it did nothing about water capacity and nothing about water efficiency.
"It did absolutely nothing about any of the warnings that were given to it year after year after year," he said.
More pressing priorities?
Suncorp Stadium?
11:04 AM, March 08, 2007
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