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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-02 Daily Xml
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DESALINATION PLANT, EYRE PENINSULA

Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders) (15:38): I am devastated, once again, to have to raise the awareness of the house to the shortsightedness, ineptitude and wastefulness of SA Water and this government when it comes to providing water for Eyre Peninsula. Yesterday, not the minister or the water commissioner, or even the executive officer of SA Water, but the chief operating officer, John Ringham, put out a media release titled 'Potential sites identified for Eyre Peninsula's desalination', without any indication of the price, quantity or time frames. The government appears to be embarrassed and in hiding, and with good reason. The release stated:

SA Water has identified three potential sites to construct a desalination plant to help provide a secure drinking water supply for Eyre Peninsula.

We have since been told that it should be in place 'at least by 2014'—12 years after the original Eyre Peninsula desalination plant was promised by this government and after millions of dollars have unnecessarily been expended. What a joke!

To add to this extensive, expensive exercise, Mr Ringham said that they have fast-tracked investigations and identified these sites for environmental assessment and further community engagement, adding there is still significant work needed before a final site can be chosen. So, what we actually have is yet another inadequate, shortsighted plan. Forgive me for being cynical, but this is simply more talk, smoke and mirrors, following years of investigations, reports, seminars, plans and audits. Water for Eyre Peninsula—or more specifically concerns about diminishing water resources—has been on the agenda for a long time, and now Polda, Robinson and some of the southern basins are overdrawn.

In 1998 we had Spencer Regions Water Futures. In 1999 we had the State Water Plan draft for consultation, and in 2000 we had a water allocation plan for the southern basins. In 2001 a water allocation plan was adopted and we had the first interim report of Eyre Peninsula's Water Supply Master Plan. In 2002 a desalination plant for Eyre Peninsula was announced, with the Tod Reservoir pilot plant study. We had the second interim report, a water summit at Wudinna and then the Streaky Bay water supply augmentation project's final report.

In 2003, minister Weatherill told ABC Radio that a desalination plant was 'written in blood'. A $2 million trial desalination plant commenced at Tod Reservoir. There was another water summit, this time in Port Lincoln; and we got the Eyre Peninsula Water Supply Master Plan. The year 2004 gave us the Eyre Peninsula Catchment Report, and in 2005 the government announced $48.5 million to build a pipeline bringing River Murray water to Eyre Peninsula.

Augmentation fees were charged to Coffin Bay developers without knowing the condition of that basin, and the Public Works Committee's minority report on the Eyre Peninsula water supply upgrade. We then had a feasibility study into Coffin Bay lens, and the Eyre Peninsula Catchment Water Management Plan draft for public consultation. In 2006 we had the water audit for Eyre Peninsula, in 2007 a National Plan for Water Security, and in March yet another water summit in Port Lincoln.

December 2008 gave us SA Water's long-term plan for the Eyre region. This year SA Water announced that it is working on a water security strategy for Eyre Peninsula. Level 3 water restrictions are applied after being told we would never need water restrictions. SA Water investigates a number of locations that may be suitable for a desalination plant, and South Australia got its Water for Good plan released with great fanfare—all ahead of yesterday's 2.5 gigalitre ($150 million to $200 million) Eyre Peninsula desalination announcement.

From what I know (and I do profess to know something about the water situation on the Eyre Peninsula), yesterday's announcement is way too little, way too late. It is just another promise in a long line of broken promises. To add insult to injury, assertions that locating the plant on the Lower Eyre Peninsula will provide the best possible outcome for the whole region is simply rubbish. SA Water's release states that it will provide drinking water. There is certainly no provision for expanding population, agriculture, mining industries or future value-adding of our products.

As Mayor Peter Davis might say, blind Freddy knows that Eyre Peninsula is poised for a mining boom. One could safely assume that we will need just a little more water in the future for new employees and their families, for processing and for value-adding. Of course, you may ask: why on earth would SA Water want to get into the business of making money for the state by providing water for mining industries? Apparently that is not its core business. I scratch my head and wonder.

Here we have a state-owned monopoly that will not even try to build its business and its profits to provide water to the biggest new customers of their product.

Time expired.

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