High noon today - Beattie to dictate water asset strip ...

Councils to be told of the great asset strip.

Toowoomba faces losses of $400 million of Toowoomba ratepayers' assets - around one-third of assets.

Assets strip to occur under guise of 'council amalgamations'.

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Water show down looms

24 May 2007

A showdown looms today over Premier Beattie's plan to strip billions of dollars of water assets from councils.

Several mayors are demanding that the State Government offer their councils compensations for the billions of dollars of water assets built up by councils over more than a century.

Mr Beattie is expected to announce today the State Government will take over council water assets in south-east Queensland.

The Queensland Water Commission is due to hand over its review of institutional arrangements to Mr Beattie, also this morning.

The premier has summoned the mayors of 19 councils across south east Queensland at parliament house to discuss the report's findings, and to propose the handover of water assets.

"Obviously with any proposition there's a requirement to discuss the ultimate proposal, but maybe that is the case, maybe that's what the premier's proposing this morning," Boonah Shire Mayor John Brent told ABC Radio.

"But we don't know, and that's one of the difficulties."

Mr Beattie will hold a media conference at noon today.

See - Beattie to strip Councils bare.