Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is International Water Day. On International Water Day in my electorate of Flinders at Gunnamatta Beach—one of the great beaches in Australia—every hour, 17 million litres of partially treated sewage will continue to be dumped off our coast. Over five years ago, the then state Labor government, which is the continuing state Labor government, made an ironclad pledge that they would clean up the Eastern Treatment Plant and the Gunnamatta outfall. They have broken that promise; they have failed to fulfil it. Today, International Water Day—as over 400 million litres of waste water is dumped off our coast, is not recycled, is allowed to both pollute the environment and not be used for productive agricultural and industrial purposes—I call on the state government of Victoria to commence works on upgrading the Eastern Treatment Plant by International Water Day 2008.

There is no timetable for this upgrade. There is a vague commitment which was made over five years ago. By next year it will be six years. Every hour, 17 million litres of waste water is polluting the Mornington Peninsula’s coastline. Every day, including today, International Water Day, over 400 million litres of waste water is polluting the Mornington Peninsula’s coastline. Every year, 150 billion litres of waste water is polluting our coastline. On every day that this occurs, that water could have been used for industry and agriculture in place of fresh water and to take pressure off our dams and pressure off our communities. It is a waste of water and it should not occur. On International Water Day I repeat my strong view that the state must commit to commencing the upgrade of the Eastern Treatment Plant by International Water Day 2008.