WATER INCENTIVES PACKAGE

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade) (14:11): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: I rise to advise the house of a new package of water saving incentives to be introduced from 1 November, which are designed to help the community make wise water decisions in and around the home. This $24 million package over three years is estimated to save more than five billion litres of water per year from 2010. The package will cover:

rebates of up to $30 for the installation of low-flow showerheads (to be followed later by a program for exchanging an old showerhead for a new one);

rebates of $50 when $150 is spent on eligible water efficient gardening goods, including organic mulch, compost and compost bins, tap timers and soil wetting agents;

rebates of up to $200 upon purchase of a minimum four-star washing machine;

rebates of up to $150 to replace older, inefficient toilets with dual-flush systems; and

from 1 January 2008, rebates of $100 in the city (or $110 in regional areas) for home water audits to reduce water and energy consumption. Householders will be able to have a water assessment of their properties, with recommendations to reduce water and energy consumption. During this assessment, up to two low-flow showerheads will be installed as part of the audit.

The rebates will be available to all residential properties, regardless of whether the property is connected to SA Water supply. This includes home owners and tenants. However, tenants will need to present a letter from the property owner to be eligible for the showerhead, dual-flush toilet or plumbing service. A home audit can be carried out by any licensed plumber who has registered with SA Water to carry out audits that comply with SA Water's criteria. A rebates booklet that details this package will also be available to assist residents to make wise choices about water use inside and outside the house. Under the state government's Waterproofing Adelaide strategy, we set a target of saving more than 11 billion litres of indoor household water a year by 2025. This rebate package is designed to accelerate this saving.

Reducing demand on our mains water supply forms part of our four ways to water security to secure our state's future water supplies, which includes insurance in desalination, improved storage, recycling and catchment management. The community has made a huge effort to reduce water consumption during the current drought and we hope to encourage ongoing water savings through this scheme.