Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I speak with some confidence that the unreliable and outdated sewerage tanks sitting in backyards throughout the Peel region may soon be a thing of the past. I welcome the announcement by the Western Australian Premier in last week’s state budget that $100 million will be committed to the infill sewerage program over the coming four years.

As I have spoken about previously, securing deep sewerage connections in 13 Canning locations for some 1,800 households remains a priority. My survey of the areas drew an overwhelming response, with local residents expressing great frustration that they had been left wanting when the program was deferred after waiting for years.

In addition to the budget commitment of $25 million per year, which is enough to complete two locations annually, a steering committee will be established to re-evaluate and re-prioritise areas for connection. This is a sensible and workable approach. The steering committee will now play an important role as needs of the communities change over time. Areas that were not priorities five years ago are now. This is true for many of the Peel locations. The simple fact is that the Shire of Murray has one of the fastest growth rates in the country at six per cent and Mandurah’s population has doubled over the last 15 years.

This week I wrote to the Minister for Water urging him to ensure that Canning locations were given due consideration by the committee, ultimately leading to a start date for the many long-suffering households. Canning is a unique place, with the Peel region home to rivers, estuaries and the world acclaimed heritage listed wetlands. If action is not taken, picturesque areas could be left swimming in sewage and local governments left without the infrastructure needed to accommodate the growing population.

Water Corporation has indicated that it would cost approximately $35 million to connect all of the Dawesville, Falcon, Halls Head, Mandurah, Ravenswood and Pinjarra areas that have gone without. This is something I have urged the minister to formally cost and accommodate out of the funds set aside in the forward estimates.

Prioritisation will be based on health and environmental considerations, so the fact that most of the Canning homes that were deferred under the program lie between the rivers and the estuaries, posing grave risks of raw sewage run-off, must weigh heavily in these rankings. Ravenswood West Murray 2A—in other words, Murray Bend—will likely be the first project to get underway. It is essential to avoid more sewage leaking into the Murray and Serpentine rivers.

More than 230 homeowners have been fighting for more than a decade for sewerage. There have been horror reports of children getting sick after falling into the rivers. The $2.2 million investment in this area is a small cost to pay for the health of local families and future generations.

Respondents to my survey also expressed great frustration over spending years being pushed to the bottom of the infill queue, being restricted in developing their property without deep sewerage and managing the expense of maintaining septic tanks. I urge the steering committee to make those unsewered Canning locations a priority. Together with many of my constituents, I look forward to hearing from the minister that sewerage for Canning residents is back on the agenda.