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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-17 Daily Xml
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WATER RESTRICTIONS

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:53): My question is once again for the Premier. Did the government get any advice, and if so from whom, recommending the easing of water restrictions before the heatwave commenced?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:53): We did get advice because Karlene Maywald announced before the heatwave—and I think that you might have been listening. In fact, there was a series of announcements before the heatwave where ministers of this government foreshadowed that we would seek to lift restrictions if we could. But I have the statement from the Liberal Party. Here we go. This is September the 29th:

My fear is that events of last week will see water restrictions lifted in Adelaide. Is the Minister for the River Murray going to preside over the lifting of water restrictions while her constituents are left with inadequate water allocations? I would like a commitment from the minister that current water restrictions remain in place…

The Liberal Party—Tim Whetsone, Liberal candidate. We have a situation where the Liberals are divided. This government, before—

Mr PENGILLY: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: You can't handle the truth.

The SPEAKER: Order, the Premier!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not entertain a point of order until there is silence.

Mr PENGILLY: I believe, once again, the Premier is debating the issue, not answering the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier is straying into debate. The Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: So, if before there was a heatwave, we had the Minister for the River Murray, the minister for the environment and the Premier saying that, if we could lift water restrictions we would, but we would take it on the advice of the experts, depending on river flows, reservoir levels, also evaporation rates, demand and supply, as well as, of course, in terms of our negotiations with other parties, I would have thought that it might have perhaps sunk in that we were talking about it before the heatwave. What I said yesterday was, 'Wait and see them go crazy when we do what they called on us to do but what the week before they called on us not to do.'

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