SA Water

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:24): Sunday saw the burst of yet another Adelaide water main, sadly, in the seat of Florey. This time a pipe in Pooraka, under Bridge Road near Dulkara Road, erupted causing flooding in nearby homes, which has been catastrophic for the occupants. It has immediately uprooted their lives and they will be in a parlous state for the coming days and weeks and, most likely, long after that. In an all too familiar pattern this pipe, and others in the immediate vicinity, were reported by residents months ago. They were told that things were performing normally.

How can the community have confidence that their concerns are acted upon when repairs are insufficient and protect them for only a matter of months? For a then opposition to have paid such great attention to incidents of this nature over past years, I am sad to learn from my constituents that circumstances around and after this sort of incident have not improved a great deal.

Luckily, the SES emergency personnel are the one bright spot for any residents in this dire situation. The presence of the SES and their handling of callouts such as these are comforting. However, while I am told in the one case I have been able to substantiate post event that the SA Water contact officer has been helpful, there seems to be a lot to be desired when dealing with insurance claims.

Since the boundary redistribution, I have become responsible for the residents in the now SA Water top 10 hotspot areas for water main bursts of Valley View, Ingle Farm and now Pooraka. This has led to my much keener interest in this issue and the Metropolitan Water Main Replacement Program. We will all no doubt recall the long-suffering residents of Willow Drive, Paradise, who became regular features on our nightly news services and in daily papers. Luckily—and I do not want to jinx them—they seem to have had the remedial work done and I have not seen them in the news for a while.

A quick look at the interactive map on the SA Water web page shows their area is no longer in the water main replacement focus area. It also shows that Pooraka, Ingle Farm and Valley View are not either, which leads to the question: what has to happen to an area before they become automatically the focus of attention under this program? The cost to the individuals financially, physically and emotionally is enormous and so too must be the cost for departments in calling out emergency repair crews after hours and then having to race to get intersections ready for peak periods.

The very informative SA Water web page also tells us that the agency is responsible for 27,000 kilometres of pipelines across South Australia. In the past 10 years, 638,000 metres have been replaced. Also, in the four years ending in 2020, a further 375,700 metres will be replaced. I am not sure yet how many metres were replaced on Nelson Road in 2012 or how many metres are involved in the new and current problem areas in Pooraka, Ingle Farm and Valley View, but I do see that 530 metres have been attended to in the Cugera Avenue and Mary Leonard Drive, Ingle Farm, area. It is due for completion in June, for which I am sure these residents are very grateful.

While welcome, that leaves a lot of residents in the Pooraka, Ingle Farm and Valley View area still waiting for works to be performed. While they are waiting, it would be good to know that the minister, the department and SA Water are doing all they can to assist people who by sheer accident are left high and dry, when they wish they really were, and on their own. If this was an isolated emergency event, you could perhaps patiently keep asking for improvements to the process. But, as it is not, my electors and I are looking for improvements, especially around accommodation, out-of-pocket expenses and insurance claims.

In one recent event, when the pipes were ruptured by a contractor who dug before they dialled, in the following confusion and responsibility with insurance assessing we now see residents needing to pursue claims and satisfactory settlements and restorations many weeks after the event. This disruption of everyday life is an additional burden and stress on people. I look forward to working with the minister, his department and SA Water to streamline the process. I am also very concerned that household policies are not providing new-for-old replacements and the level of insurance that may be necessary to ensure prompt and satisfactory event resolution.

Reactive soils are throughout the north-eastern suburbs, and in the former parts of Florey I cannot recall as many events as there have been of late. The old Nelson Road boundary quarantined then Florey from the horror of regular mains and pipes bursts, so I am not sure how that reactive soil is any better in Modbury Heights than it is in Pooraka, Ingle Farm and Valley View.

Another great worry is the passing on of the repair costs in increasing water bills to everyday citizens. Along with my staff, the Florey electorate office is working with local residents on the broader question of water supply and emergency repairs and maintenance of the water pipeline network. None of us ever wants to be in this situation, but if we are we would all like to be assured the government is really there to help us.