Why CSG water should stand a better chance now former Mayor Thorley is gone (redux) ...

Worth revisiting.

Now more than ever, Premier Anna Bligh needs the jobs that expansion of the coal seam gas industry would create.

Friday, August 08, 2008

Why CSG water should stand a better chance now former Mayor Thorley is gone ...

There is little doubt that progress at a local and State government level on coal seam gas water was harmed by the campaign by the former Toowoomba City Council to ignore any water source option that didn't involve recycling sewage.

As the coal seam gas companies pushed forward with their plans and offered to assist the region with water source problems, their comments fell on deaf ears down at City Hall.

The prospect of an abundant water source which could drought-proof the region would have meant disaster for the Toowoomba City Council's plans to force Toowoomba residents to drink recycled water.

The Toowoomba City Council was prepared to forgo investigating a rain-independent source of water so they could push forward with their ill-fated rain-dependent recycled water proposal - complete with the proposed multi-million dollar water-edutainment centre/public funded multinational sales outlet out at Wetalla.

The recent comments by QGC speak volumes:

“The water is plentiful and there will be a lot more of it as the coal seam gas industry grow[s].”

“We are simply saying ‘look at this water.’ It is [a] fantastic opportunity for Queensland.”

“We have already produced potable water in our own reverse osmosis trials. Let’s use this plentiful resource – not let it slip through our fingers.”

It is a serious indictment on the former Toowoomba City Council that they ignored this water source and did everything they could to dissuade people from believing it was a credible water source.

Why?

To pursue their recycled water dream at any cost and whatever they thought might follow.

The departure of former Mayor Thorley robbed certain elements within the Council of their public 'anti-CSG water' mouthpiece.

An attempt to draft Councillor Ramia into this role in the past few months failed abysmally.

And so it seems that the Federal and State governments are finally taking notice of CSG water as a potential water source for the region.

Toowoomba residents should, however, not fool themselves into thinking that Anna Bligh cares what water they drink.

She doesn't.

She's a politician and all she cares about are votes - for her.

The actions of the State government in recent weeks make this clear.

Some may say that the State government had little choice other than to announce the Wivenhoe-Cressbrook pipeline.

If Toowoomba dams are almost drained by the next State election, it would give the State opposition a free election kick - even though Toowoomba would still be able to draw on bore and GAB supplies.

Politics.

Some may draw comfort from the fact that, as Anna Bligh looks at the CSG industry, she sees jobs, economic development and votes.

By combining the resources of the Qld government and the CSG companies to deal with the water byproduct, the CSG industry will be able to expand more rapidly leading to more jobs, more prosperity and, by Anna's calculation, more votes.

Who knows - Toowoomba may ultimately end up with the water source it should have had right from the start - all because Anna Bligh wants to keep the economic boom in Queensland going ...