BIRKENHEAD GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): My question is again to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. Does the minister consider that it was either reckless or irresponsible for him to sign off on a decision on 20 December to not issue a media release concerning groundwater contamination at Birkenhead when the EPA, by 12 January, some 23 days later, had obviously decided to publicise the risk and issue a media release? The EPA put out a press release on 12 January in which they notify that the testing still had to be done but they believe that they needed to inform the public of the health risk.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:33): Madam Speaker, I think what the member for MacKillop has done in the way he has asked the question is justify what I have said earlier about the level of responses required, the level of communication that is required—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —and making sure that the EPA is in a position to understand what the true situation is and then best inform people of that situation.