STATUTES AMENDMENT (WATER CONSERVATION TARGET AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES) BILL

Introduction and First Reading

Mr HANNA (Mitchell) (10:31): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Public Corporations Act 1993, the South Australian Water Corporation Act 1994 and the Waterworks Act 1932. Read a first time.

Second Reading

Mr HANNA (Mitchell) (10:32): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I bring to the House of Assembly a bill which has already been introduced into the other place by the Hon. Mark Parnell. It is a bill to encourage SA Water more effectively to take on conservation targets.

One of the problems that many people feel we have had in the water debate is the inevitable desire for SA Water to make money. Apart from aspects of our water provision being privatised, SA Water itself must pay dividends at commercial rates—at least at commercial rates—to the government. The money that then goes into general revenue in the Treasury is obviously not being spent on water infrastructure and so on.

This bill contains a few simple measures to balance that imperative. It imposes upon SA Water a binding annual water conservation target. It shifts the focus of SA Water from just supplying water towards saving and recycling. It requires SA Water to report yearly on the progress for reducing the demand for water. It requires that before expanding the water supply to new subdivisions, new townships etc., SA Water needs to be satisfied that there will be a sustainable source of water for such a new development.

I will refer briefly to the clauses of the bill. The first three clauses are formal and simple to understand. Clause 4 is an amendment to SA Water's charter and clearly spells out that the corporation must work to conserve water resources and to ensure that development is ecologically sustainable. Clause 5 refers to the functions of the corporation and goes into a little more detail about how those objectives might be met.

Clause 6 makes changes to the annual reporting requirements of SA Water so that issues of sustainability and conservation are included. Clause 7 makes the requirement that SA Water must be able to foresee a sustainable source of water before extending the water supply lines to a new development, and clause 8 does the same thing. With that brief explanation, I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.