Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in this place again and I stand here again to talk about the critical need for the Turnbull government to act immediately on Townsville's water security. I am tired of Townsville being referred to as 'Brownsville'. Yes, we do live in the dry tropics, but this does not mean that the largest city in northern Australia has to be drought declared. We have one of the greatest water resources in Australia—the Burdekin Falls Dam, located in our backyard, just 130 kilometres from Townsville. This dam is huge. It is five times the size of Sydney Harbour, and it is currently overflowing.

Mr McCormack interjecting—

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Small Business will remain silent.

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Allow me to repeat that point: five times the size of Sydney Harbour, and it is located only one hour from Townsville. Labor delivered the Burdekin Falls Dam, and it has only ever been Labor that has had a strong, long-term vision for water security for regional Queensland.

It was through the advocacy and work of the last Labor member for Herbert, Ted Lindsay, who delivered the Burdekin Falls Dam during the Hawke government. Coincidentally, Herbert has had over 20 years of Liberal representation, and not one measure or action has been done since Ted to secure water security for the north. The Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce can talk all he wants about his plans for water, but it is just hot air. It is only Labor that has a history on delivering water security for North Queensland, and it will only ever be Labor who actually delivers.

So I am here to pick up where my previous Labor predecessor left off. I am here to fight for water security for Townsville. Addressing water security for Townsville is key to our future growth and development. It is key to industry investment and key to population growth. If Townsville has any hope of being the capital of northern Australia, growing our ties with Asia and expanding our agriculture and tourism sectors, then we have to address the water crisis first. Addressing this is going to take real guts and a deep commitment and belief in northern Queensland. This is something I do not think this government has the guts to do.

The Townsville Ross River Dam is currently at 17 per cent. The Ross River Dam was a flood-mitigation strategy, and, as such, is shallow. The Townsville City Council have enacted water restrictions to level 3, and on 16 November last year, the council started pumping water from the Burdekin Falls Dam. There are several points to note once pumping commences. Firstly, it costs the council more than $27,000 a day to pump from the dam. Secondly, 130 megalitres are pumped per day; 40 megalitres are lost through evaporation. This evaporation is due to the fact that the current Haughton pipeline finishes at the Haughton channel. That is 42 kilometres away from the Ross River Dam that the water has to travel before reaching the dam.

There are two huge compounding issues that need to be addressed immediately—and they can be addressed. The original vision from the former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, and the former Labor member for Herbert, Ted Lindsay, was to build a gravity-fed pipeline from the dam. Nothing has changed since Hawke. Townsville is still Brownsville. We are still facing a water crisis, and we are still waiting for the original vision of the Hawke government to be implemented.

The stress that our water issues are having on families is evident. I regularly visit primary schools and I meet with teachers and students. I have been absolutely astounded at the degree of anxiety in our young people in grades 4 and 5 over water.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why didn't you build a dam?

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Small Business is warned.

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Water shortage, to these young children, is a major problem of concern. They are incredibly distressed. At every class and every forum I visit, I tell them not to be distressed, as we have one of the largest dams in Australia just one hour away, and it is full of water.

The students, like me, are perplexed about why we are not doing more to harness off the Burdekin Falls Dam—and herein lies the question about what the government is doing about providing water security for Townsville. Besides absolutely nothing, the Deputy Prime Minister is actively excluding Townsville from accessing government funds and resources. The tragedy is that Townsville, as a city, is excluded from accessing the Turnbull government's National Water Infrastructure Development Fund because it is for agriculture and irrigation only.

The Deputy Prime Minister needs to cut the red tape and allow for a portion of the funds to include Townsville, especially if Townsville is to be a pivotal trade supply hub. The Deputy Prime Minister created this fund, and he can change it. I demand that he does. Any inaction will foreshadow a loss of investment in the regions and a loss of jobs. Townsville is not going to give up our fight for water security just because it may rain because we know that this drought will happen again. I will not give up my fight for Townsville. I will keep rising, and I will keep demanding in this place for the Turnbull government to take immediate action on addressing water security issues for the north.