Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Water is the word on everyone’s lips these days. Do you think we are making the best use of our existing water resources? No, we are not. How can we make sure we have enough water for the future? What are our priorities and how do we balance the needs of domestic and industrial users while doing the right thing by the environment? Toowoomba’s recent referendum on using recycled water for domestic consumption has put the matter at the top of the public’s agenda. The Queensland Labor government’s mismanagement of the entire water issue is aptly summed up in what happened in Toowoomba.

For decades it seemed that water was only of crucial interest to those on the land, who rely so heavily on rainwater and artesian supplies to keep their farms and their families going. That is to say nothing of the need for dams where those two resources are not available. But now that the issue is starting to bite in urban areas, with heavy water restrictions and dwindling dam levels, it has become a matter of national importance.

The Queensland Labor government has been all talk and no action on water and, for days now, Peter Beattie has thrown one almighty tantrum at local councils, who are sick of his spin. Last Thursday, 3 August, Mr Beattie tried to intimidate local authorities into giving his government control of their water infrastructure, and as of today he has appointed himself Queensland’s minister for water in an attempt to wrest power from councils. His exact words were:

I just say to the councils if you’re worried about water ... then hand it over to the state government.

                  …              …              …

I’m very happy to take it over and fix it up because frankly ... I’m sick to death of Liberal politicians playing Liberal politics and National Party mayors with National Party agendas.

What breathtaking hypocrisy! When were major dams ever the responsibility of local authorities? Never. Over the years, it is the Beattie government that has politicised water—even so far as making grand statements such as:

... the Beattie Government’s approach to water resource planning is responsible and based on solid science, careful planning and community involvement in the development of water resource plans for individual catchments.

Are they kidding? This is the government that just proposed the Traveston Dam on the Mary River. That is a super dam—and it is good to see the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister at the table tonight; he has had plenty to say about this—that no-one wants and that will take somewhere between 450 and 600 farms. God only knows what the compensation for that alone would be. They are building a dam on a sandy base that is going to require enormous foundations, and then it will be a dam with twice the surface area, which will be an absolute doozy when it comes to evaporation. There is good Labor planning.

The Beattie government says that it has ‘done more for Queensland water reform in six years than the National Party did in 30 years’. Rubbish! When Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Premier we had a major dam under construction in Queensland every 18 months. Every 18 months there was a major dam—they were from one end of Queensland to the other.

The dams are not being built in tandem with the growth of Queensland and now we have a drought and the cupboard is bare. There is no water. So what do we do? We say that we are the great achievers. Rubbish! They have only built one major dam since the Goss and Beattie governments have been in power. In addition to that, they have left Queensland in a state of extraordinary difficulty coming up on level 4 restrictions.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every time we propose a dam, you oppose it!

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hope, for the honourable member, that it does not drift into Ipswich.

This is a very frightening scenario. I think Queenslanders have just about had enough of it. Mr Beattie is also aware that councils’ commitment to improving their water efficiency is quite marked, with local authorities having lifted their spending on water and sewerage by a massive 55 per cent in the last five years. That is 11 per cent a year. Pray tell what the state government was doing. I think the people of my electorate would like to know. I raise these matters tonight because they are of crucial importance to Queenslanders, and the Beattie government— (Time expired)