Memo to Anna Bligh: The 12 days of Christmas 2010 ...

On the first day of Christmas
the rain Gods gave to me
An overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the second day of Christmas
the environment gave to me
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the third day of Christmas
the Council gave to me
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the fourth day of Christmas
the weather gave to me
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the fifth day of Christmas
the government’s waste gave to me
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the sixth day of Christmas
the QWC gave to me
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the seventh day of Christmas
the government gave to me
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the eighth day of Christmas
the government’s spending cuts gave to me
Brisbane poo water ceasing
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the ninth day of Christmas
the taxpayers gave to me
Nine billion on a water grid
Brisbane poo water ceasing
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the tenth day of Christmas
the summer storms gave to me
Ten and 30 percent dam water
Nine billion on a water grid
Brisbane poo water ceasing
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge staying
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the eleventh day of Christmas
the government’s bungling gave to me
Tugun desal mothballed
Ten and 30 percent dam water
Nine billion on a water grid
Brisbane poo water ceasing
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge remains
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

On the twelfth day of Christmas
the voters gave to me
Bligh’s approval rating plummets
Tugun desal mothballed
Ten and 30 percent dam water
Nine billion on a water grid
Brisbane poo water ceasing
Carbon capture cancelled
NEWater secretly dumped
Five miniature gnomes
No more four minute showers
$320 water access charge remains
A couple of happy Lungfish
And an overflowing Wivenhoe Dam

Merry Christmas ...

Toowoomba dam levels hit 42.1% ...

See - Toowoomba dam levels at 42.1%.

The questions Anna Bligh doesn't want you to ask about SEQ water ...

Excerpt from Courier Mail:

14 December 2010

ESTIMATES PREPARATION 2010, POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

Funding and staffing

What were staff levels last year?

What are staffing levels this year?

How much is staffing to cost the taxpayer this financial year and what is the difference between this and last financial year figures?

What is the difference in total funding between this year and last year?

Why do you need $28 million when the premier said the role of the QWC was being scaled back?

How many consultants and contractors do you still have on the books?

Why did you pay three commissioners given you now think you can achieve your goals with only one?

Where will the $22 million in savings over four years been cut from?

Isn't it just cost shifting by removing the CER corporate services arms of the QWC to DERM while also committing to no job losses?

How many consultants and contractors are being moved over to DERM as part of this restructure?

Why did you spend $2.3 million on new HQ when your role is winding back so much and it is half empty because of resignations and the termination of a number of contracts?

COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNS

Please detail what the $363,000 was spent on in relation to PRW?

Please detail why $14,000 was spent on five miniature gnomes?

How much was spent on PRW bottled water in the past financial year?

How much did you spend on producing, bottling labelling storing and later trashing thousands of dollars of Bundamba (PRW promotional) Bottled Water?

How many bottles did you produce?

Why did you secretly pay someone to dump them as landfill - because of the government's dramatic backflip on PRW?

How much did you spend on market research and phone surveys on PRW attitudes in the days after the desalination announcement when government polling showed they were facing disaster if they pushed through with desalination?

How much did it cost to staff PRW stalls at events and how many bottles you hand out?

How much did the production of the PRW DVD cost and how many were actually distributed?

How much was spent on market research?

REFORMS

How much has it cost to separate distribution and retails functions from councils?

Have you been satisfied with the performance of Seqwater, the Water Grid Manager, WaterSecure and Linkwater given the multitude of problems with the Grid?

How many in these organisations are on $100,000 a year salary or above - I understand there is a substantial portion - particularly in the media areas and particularly in Water Secure.

Why is this necessary given all media has been centralised to the Grid Manager - you have dozens of media executives at each of the organisations with 'nothing to do'?

WATER PRICES

Why has the government instructed the QWC not to revise the bulk water price path drawn up in 2008 to 'pay for the $9 billion water grid' when the water grid is now a $6.9 billion grid?

Isn't this the QWC effectively ripping off the water retailers and their customers 20% because the bulk prices are still based on a $9 billion Grid - aren't we paying off a dam that's not going to be built?

Will you be refunding this overcharge to the retailers who have been paying these inflated bulk water prices since November's Traveston decision?

Are there or were there ever plans to abandon the 10-year price path? Isn't it right you were in discussions with Treasury to change the price back to five-years so you would be free to jack up the prices substantially much sooner?

PRW (Recycled Water)

How much has the Independent Expert Panel cost in the past year?

Why did the high-profile member Professor Ian Frazer resign from the Panel?

Is it because of a major falling out with the CEO John Bradley?

See - Courier Mail - Questions about water the Bligh Government feared would be asked at estimates hearings.

See also - Courier Mail - Secret dossier exposes water woes dogging Bligh Government.


The answers would be illuminating ...

Tugan desalination plant, SEQ recycled water plants to be mothballed ...

5 December 2010

The troubled Tugan Desalination Plant is now a $1.2 billion white elephant, with the Bligh Government also forced to mothball hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other plants in a desperate bid to cut water bills.
...

The desal plant on the Gold Coast, which has been plagued by rusting and cracking problems since it opened last year, will be shut down early next year, along with half the $380 million Bundamba treatment plant and the new $313 million plant at Gibson Island.
...

See - Courier Mail - Tugan Desalination Plant to be mothballed, execs face axe in bid to cut water bills.