STORMWATER INITIATIVES

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:30): My question is to the Premier, but the Treasurer might care to answer it. What specific investments has the Rann government made since 2002 for stormwater capture, aquifer recharge and reuse? A stormwater authority exists to manage flood mitigation with no responsibility for stormwater capture, aquifer recharge or reuse. The Minister for Water Security has stated that stormwater is a local government responsibility, yet the federal member for Makin, Tony Zappia, revealed on Radio FIVEaa, on 23 May 2008 that the 'Rann Labor government was taking the cheap and easy option by not capturing stormwater in Adelaide'.

Following the release of the state Liberal's plan for stormwater capture and reuse, the Minister for Water Security changed her mind and claimed that state Labor had made extensive investments in this area. However, no confirmation can be found of such an investment in any budget paper since 2002.

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) (15:31): Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to answer this question. How extraordinary and what a hypocritical position when this opposition, when in government, cut the funding for stormwater to local government—cut the stormwater funding.

The Hon. R.J. McEwen interjecting:

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: Forgot about that; forgot the stormwater funding. Believe this; this is an opposition that went to the last election with a plan to have a plan on water by 2009.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: That was their policy.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is very difficult to hear when there is dialogue across the chamber. Minister for Water Security.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: I am quoting their policy and that is right, we are not missing anything because there is nothing in their policy. That is the problem for the opposition. The opposition went to the 2006 election with a plan to have a plan.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: I have before me 'Stormwater Harvesting—Securing Our Water Future', Liberal Party South Australia May 2008. It is a great photo of the shadow minister for water security. It is obviously a slimming version.

One of the things that I find most curious about this document is that, even on the first page, it quotes the Waterproofing Adelaide strategy three times, it quotes the SA Water website a fourth time, and then it talks about 'Aquifer Storage Capacities in the Adelaide Region' by Hodgkin from DWLBC. This is wonderful stuff. The entire document is based on the Waterproofing Adelaide strategy and the information that was determined by that strategy.

Once this government reinstated funding to stormwater—because stormwater, believe it or not, even under the previous government, was the responsibility of local government—what did they do? They cut the funding. They cut the funding and then they went to the 2006 election saying, 'We'll have a plan to have a plan about water by 2009.' The best they can cobble together at the moment is a copy of what we have presented, and what this existing government is currently working on.

Let me look at all the projects that they have listed. All the projects that they have listed in their documents are projects that are currently under investigation in partnership with local government. If we were to believe the opposition, these types of projects would have been established and up and running yesterday because they would have built them overnight. They have the capacity to understand the aquifers, they have the capacity to know how much they can hold, they have the capacity to understand what treatment is necessary, and they have the capacity to understand how much land is needed to treat the water through wetlands before it can be placed in storage.

They already know all that because they believe that they can be built yesterday. Well, that is dreamland. Let us talk about what the state government is actually doing. This state government first and foremost—No. 1—reinstated the funding. That is the first thing we did. We righted the wrong of your government which reduced funding to stormwater.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: Yes, shadow minister, you were in this parliament when that happened; you were part of that government that did it. As far as what the South Australian government is doing regarding stormwater, in 2007 the state parliament passed the Local Government (Stormwater Management) Act which enabled us to establish the Stormwater Management Authority. This brings together all the partners necessary to ensure these projects can be progressed. The Stormwater Management Authority is in the process of being transferred to the Office of Water Security, and through the Office of Water Security, it will play an important part in meeting our targets already announced in 2005 in relation to stormwater management.

This government has supported the Waterproofing Adelaide strategy. We developed a strategy which we released in 2005. Remembering that this mob was going to develop a plan to have a plan in 2006 by 2009, we released one in 2005. We have been partnering local government in projects such as waterproofing the north and waterproofing the south. We are currently developing projects such as the Lochiel Park—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Do members on my left want more question time?

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: We are working with the Campbelltown council on a project that will capture and reuse stormwater at the Lochiel Park green village. We are currently working with the Onkaparinga council, which will develop—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, the member for MacKillop!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: —stormwater options for new developments—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, the member for MacKillop!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: —in the south, but, of course, the southern suburbs are not on the radar for the opposition and this is why it is not aware of these projects. The Onkaparinga council has been working with the state government to secure federal government funding for a range of stormwater reuse and treated effluent reuse projects in the south. These are joint projects between the three tiers of government, which is most important. Had those opposite been involved, they would not have been a partner because they cut the funding—remember.

The other things we are doing include our supporting the Mawson Lakes project whereby stormwater is captured and stored in wetlands, and is blended with recycled effluent from the Bolivar waste water treatment plant and supplied by SA Water to customers for non-potable uses. This project is a joint initiative between SA Water, the City of Salisbury, Delfin Lend Lease and Land Management Corporation.

Currently, we have a number of other projects on which we are working such as the Adelaide Airport. We are working with a range of local governments in the south to deal with the Brownhill and Keswick creeks catchment areas. We are also working with local government on the Port Road catchment stormwater management plan. This is a proposed flood mitigation scheme which includes stormwater reuse and water quality improvement and, of course, part of the Cheltenham redevelopment also includes a stormwater reuse component.

The Gawler River flood mitigation scheme, which currently aims to provide the best possible flood protection area, and there are opportunities for us to also look at stormwater reuse with local government. I have mentioned that, right across the state, this government has been working with local government to enhance the capacity of local councils in regional areas to reuse stormwater and treated effluent.

In the last report released in relation to the nation's treated effluent reuse, in South Australia, and Adelaide in particular, 29 per cent of our treated effluent is being reused, when the national average is around 13. I have to say that is a mighty effort, and with the projects which we currently have underway, we are increasing that to 45 per cent. I know members opposite are jealous that their track record is: 'We cut the funding to stormwater and we had a plan for a plan in 2006 to be developed by 2009'—and that is their claim to fame.