Eyre Peninsula Water Supply

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (15:23): I want to speak today about one of the greatest challenges for my region of Eyre Peninsula, and that is water. I have been working closely with and congratulate my parliamentary colleague the shadow minister for water and regions, the Hon. Nicola Centofanti, who has moved that a select committee be established to inquire into the water supply needs of Eyre Peninsula, including a focus on the potential location of a desalination plant or plants. This committee would have reference to:

(a) assessing the current and future water supply and distribution requirements of Eyre Peninsula, including for potential industrial growth needs;

(b) evaluating the feasibility and impact of locating desalination plant/s on Eyre Peninsula, including the selection process for locating a desalination plant in Port Lincoln, with particular emphasis on community engagement and consultation processes with residents and key stakeholders;

(c) examining the environmental, economic, cultural and social implications of desalination plant operations in the proposed locations;

(d) exploring the decision-making responsibility for water supply and distribution on Eyre Peninsula, including community [and stakeholder] engagement…

It would also look into any other potential matters brought to its attention relevant to the water supply needs of Eyre Peninsula. I hope that this gets widespread support across the political spectrum because this subject is above party politics.

My community needs the best decisions made on their sustainable water supply, not just the cheapest or the most expedient option. At the moment, they are faced with a project advancing at Billy Lights Point, a location which has little to no community support. Assurances from the minister and SA Water about their confidence in such a location not negatively impacting the local marine environment and aquaculture have seemed hollow.

The very vocal concerns from the widespread community, industry, aquaculture, and now the Barngarla Aboriginal Corporation, have all seemingly been ignored. Today's piece in The Advertiser and the statement that the Premier made today speaking about the Northern Water project, which was actually started under the previous Liberal government, highlights the economic need and opportunities, but it also reiterated to me that we need to have a big picture perspective on water supply on Eyre Peninsula.

The Northern Water supply project team have announced that Cape Hardy is their recommended location, which is much closer to Port Lincoln than previously, and only around 40 kilometres away from the main Eyre Peninsula water distribution line, and even closer to one of the sub-branches.

If we are serious about getting an appropriate long-term solution for Eyre Peninsula water, we need to look at all the different factors. This is why I am supportive of this committee. I hope it is supported across the spectrum of politics, moving swiftly to have a look at all aspects of EP water to help get the arrangements right to ensure the long-term sustainability of Eyre Peninsula.

Child care availability and accessibility in regional areas is a significant challenge for families, especially in my region of Eyre Peninsula. It is an important subject that I bring up regularly in this place and it also has a restrictive force on our regional growth and our economic opportunity. Regional Development Australia Eyre Peninsula late last year commissioned Community Early Learning Australia to develop the Eyre Peninsula early education and care report in partnership with participating member councils and the state government Office for the Early Years.

For background, child care for many years has been the subject of anecdotal comment regarding the lack of available places for long day care, occasional care and early childhood education. But at odds with this anecdotal information was the most recent Australian federal government grants program, the Community Child Care Fund. This fund was specifically established to increase childcare services in areas of the country where there was limited supply. However, Eyre Peninsula is not eligible to apply.

This is something I believe needs to change and something I know the RDA and the EP local government wants to change, and that is why they have worked together to coordinate a regional approach to both quantifying and aggregating the unmet demand for child care. This report has now been released and shows a clear need for an additional 598 places to be created across Eyre Peninsula with an investment of $55 million needed for new and upgraded facilities.

While that is a significant amount—$55 million—there is a potential return on investment of around $44 million per annum in additional income through greater workforce participation with more than 1,000 parents able to rejoin the workforce in a region that is crying out for workers in existing and future opportunities.

So the need is there, the opportunity is there, we just need the motivation of both federal and state governments as well as involvement from the private sector to get the childcare outcomes that my region is desperately needing.