House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Water Pricing WATER PRICING Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Morialta WATER PRICING Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:01): My question is also to the Minister for Water and it is also in relation to the commercial laundry in Newton whose water bill is increasing. Given that the business's water bill has increased from $8,900 to $12,000 this year, and will increase further next year from 1 July, and 40 per cent more from 1 July the year after, to about $20,000, what advice can the minister give this laundry on how they are supposed to survive? Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Water. The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly Colton Minister for Environment and Conservation Minister for the River Murray Minister for Water The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (15:02): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and I agree with my colleagues here—he should be on the opposition front bench. Mr Pengilly House of Assembly Mr Pengilly: Get Biggles to answer; he has an answer for everything. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for Finniss! Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. P. CAICA House of Assembly The Hon. P. CAICA: Not only was it an objective of the state government to ensure security of water supplies for potable water for critical human needs, and I believe that largely has been done, it is also through Water for Good, an objective to ensure that we diversify our water supplies to ensure that those water supplies—diversified water supplies being, amongst other things, the re-use and recycling of stormwater, the re-use and recycling of wastewater, and, of course, in doing so, to provide an alternative fit for other purposes, and also to reduce our reliance on potable water supplies. Quite simply, as I have said and been transparent about, the price and the cost of water has increased and will continue to increase next year again. I have also made it clear to the many that I have met with, whether they be irrigators in Clare or, indeed, irrigators down Narrung way, that we as a government will not be subsidising businesses in regard to their water supplies. To do so, if we were to do that, would only mean that would then further increase the cost of water for other users, those in metropolitan Adelaide, those in country South Australia, the families and others. We don't intend to do that and have made that perfectly clear.