Australian Water Quality Centre

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (15:19): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Will the minister inform the chamber about the recent opening of the Australian Water Quality Centre—Melbourne Laboratory, and how South Australian water expertise is attracting growing attention?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:19): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. The Australian Water Quality Centre is a business unit of SA Water established over 80 years ago with the primary focus of maintaining public health. It is a world-class laboratory with a strong national and international reputation. The centre carries out important sampling and analysis of water and wastewater as part of SA Water's quality control programs and health and environmental management.

The Australian Water Quality Centre also performs testing and other services for a number of external customers on a commercial basis. This brings in revenue to SA Water and secures employment for many scientific and technical staff. In 2015-16, the Australian Water Quality Centre's commercial laboratory services activities generated over $5.7 million in revenue, I am advised, from external customers. The centre has a total of 80 staff within its commercial laboratory service operations.

The Australian Water Quality Centre's specialist expertise and many years of experience in supporting the national water industry and monitoring and solving water quality challenges means that its services are very highly sought after indeed. For example, the centre has been delivering specialist services and sharing its expertise with Victorian water industries for over 30 years. I am pleased to announce that, in response to demand from the centre's customers in Victoria, an Australian Water Quality Centre laboratory opened in Melbourne on 29February 2016. The laboratory is located within the Royal Melbourne Hospital's Centre for Medical Research in Parkville and enables the Australian Water Quality Centre to better respond to time-critical testing.

In line with the terms of SA Water Corporation's charter, the Treasurer and I, as Minister for Water and the River Murray, approved SA Water pursuing this interstate business opportunity. Having a Melbourne base supports the expansion of the Australian Water Quality Centre's non-regulated business, some of which is directed back to the Adelaide laboratory to generate further employment opportunities for this state. The Australian Water Quality Centre has promoted its Melbourne laboratory through various communications, media and events, I am advised. It is very pleasing indeed to have the feedback from the Victorian water industry which has been very positive. There are currently a large number of potential opportunities being pursued as a result of this engagement.

The aim is to grow the business across both the Adelaide and the Melbourne laboratories initially. It is a major employer of scientific and laboratory staff. This will support further job growth opportunities for scientists for the Australian Water Quality Centre's activities in South Australia and Victoria. I just highlight that point for the honourable member, in response to her question, because of course it is only a Labor government that will keep SA Water in public hands to drive employment opportunities for our technical and scientific expertise in this state. Only Labor will commit to that. The Liberals, it is in their DNA; they will privatise it as soon as they get their hands on it.