POWERLINE UNDERGROUNDING

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (11:05): I move:

That this house calls on the state government to follow the example of the Western Australian government, which in partnership with power companies, local government and ratepayers, has helped underground half of the domestic powerlines in Perth.

This has been one of my many hobbyhorses—I have a few. My experience of riding horses was not all that great on a property up north while I was at uni—

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The Hon. R.B. SUCH: Yes, the horse wanted to keep going under these low branches—even then it must have had a political inclination. Governments of Western Australia have had a program extending over 16 years which has now resulted in half of Perth being undergrounded. The way in which it works is that the equivalent of ETSA, Western Power, and the local government sector are involved, but, in effect, the government oversees and, I guess, underwrites a program where property owners (ratepayers) pay for the undergrounding over an extended period. It has worked brilliantly. I have spoken to people in Perth who initially had some little apprehension, but what they have found is that their streets not only look better but their property values have increased.

There are no poles to hit when you are driving around and you do not have the ugliness of the overhead powerlines. We know that, in new subdivisions, the power is now underground, but, as Perth did, we still have many above-ground power poles, wires and so on. They do not have Stobie poles. What also happens is that you no longer need to have contractors pruning trees under powerlines because there are no powerlines to be concerned about, and the streets end up being very attractive because you can have a range of trees and shrubs without any limit on their height. You do not have to amputate the trees every year, as happens in Adelaide and causes a concern to many local government areas—Unley and Payneham St Peters. Many councils here are often in dispute with ETSA about its pruning techniques.

I think it is a fantastic initiative. I understand that the opposition is committing to some form of undergrounding as part of its election promise leading up to 2010. I hope the government will do the same. I have heard the Premier respond on radio to a query about undergrounding. He said, 'It will cost too much.' Yes, it would if you try to do it in one hit, but the ratepayer pays on an instalment basis. People might say, 'Look, under the Local Government Act, you can do some undergrounding now,' but councils that have tried it have had very mixed results. The City of Onkaparinga has basically walked away from undergrounding along the foreshore near Christies because other ratepayers say, 'Why are you getting involved there and giving them a free kick, when you should be helping us, as well?'

The beauty of a comprehensive scheme, with the government having the oversight and helping to facilitate, means that you make real progress, and that is what has happened in Perth. The principle is quite simple: if you make the instalments affordable, the ratepayer gets the benefit because their property value increases and you have fewer accidents. Ultimately, the power bills do not have to increase as much because you do not have to do line pruning. All those very positive aspects result from having an undergrounding scheme which is coordinated by a state government body.

In essence, if it is correct that the opposition will commit to some sort of undergrounding, then I would make a plea to the government to get on board and I commend the opposition for adopting an enlightened approach. We know that there is an undergrounding scheme for areas of high tourism value, but this scheme goes beyond that and involves residential areas. Next time members go to Perth they should visit suburbs like Cottesloe and Claremont to see some of the work done there. I would be surprised if any member came away not convinced that it is not a good thing to do.

I have a lot of detail, and there is no need to put that on the record, but if members are interested I can provide them with information and with contacts in Perth where they can get more detailed information on the Western Australian underground power program. I commend the program to the house and urge the government to get on board, and I again commend the opposition for already indicating that its support for an undergrounding power policy.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.