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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-02 Daily Xml
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Question Time

STORMWATER HARVESTING

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): My question is to the Minister for Water Security. Why did the government set such low targets for stormwater harvesting in its Water for Good statement? Water industry experts Professor Mike Young and Salisbury council's Colin Pitman have said publicly that the government's stormwater targets are too low. The Centre for Economic Studies' latest report on local government involvement in stormwater lists projects in operation, under construction or with approved funding as having a projected output of almost 21 gigalitres, yet in its recently released Water for Good statement the government's target for stormwater harvesting is only 20 gigalitres.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security) (14:15): Thank you very much for the question, Leader of the Opposition. It is a very important question because there has been a lot of hoo-ha about stormwater and what is the actual potential amount of stormwater that can be harvested from the Adelaide Plains area. The government decided to let science tell us, rather than commentators or the opposition, and to do a substantial body of work to determine, on a scientific basis, what was actually achievable in relation to stormwater harvesting. The Stormwater Authority commissioned some work to be undertaken to look at what was the potential for stormwater harvesting. The urban stormwater harvesting options study (which was completed recently and also launched this week) advises and informs the government about what is the potential for stormwater harvesting. For the first time, this report provides a detailed and realistic assessment of Adelaide's large scale stormwater harvesting potential.

Remembering that, whilst Colin Pitman and the Salisbury council have done a great job in the Salisbury area, and Mike Young is a very good expert who provides opinion to debate in relation to water issues, they are not hydrogeologists and nor are they hydrologists. We asked the experts in this field to be able to tell us, through the stormwater harvesting options study, how much stormwater could be harvested in Adelaide. They have identified up to about 60 billion litres of water per year (60 gigalitres) is achievable. This government is committed to doing what we can in the stormwater area, but we wanted stormwater targets that are realistic, achievable and affordable. They are much better projects than $1 billion-odd for sports stadiums.

It is really important to note that, in my ministerial statement—and I will not go through them again—we are investing in a range of projects in partnership with local government and seeking funding from the federal government to enhance our stormwater capacity. The projects we have presented to the federal government will more than double the amount of water that is being harvested from stormwater in South Australia should they all be supported—and we are very confident that they will be. I think it is important to note that these kind of projections and wish lists that are put out by commentators without any of the scientific fact behind them are nothing more than that. They are nothing more than fantasy, unless they can be substantiated through realistic projects; and that is what this government has endeavoured to do and that is what we have achieved through the Water for Good strategy and working with the Stormwater Authority, and local government, to determine what is actually achievable.

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