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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-22 Daily Xml
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WATER RESTRICTIONS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (16:07): As of 21 September (the equinox, as it turned out, yesterday), the current volume of holdings in Adelaide's reservoirs was 163.3 gigalitres, 82 per cent of a total of 198 gigalitres. Why do I put forward that point? The point I make is in relation to particularly the Myponga dam, which is sitting at 9.1 metres high and has 20.7 gigalitres in it, or 77 per cent of its capacity. Last year and over the summer, water was drawn from Myponga to Happy Valley, which is currently sitting at 89 per cent of capacity, and Mount Bold at 93 per cent capacity.

The point that I wish to get to is the fact that the Myponga dam services the Fleurieu Peninsula: the towns of Yankalilla and Normanville down through the Inman Valley through to Victor Harbor, Port Elliot, Goolwa and Middleton. It is high time the government seriously looked at reducing restrictions on the residents down that way who use this facility. They pay the River Murray levy, as do most South Australians, including some who have no connection whatsoever with the River Murray itself, namely, the residents of Kangaroo Island, although they still pay the levy.

It is purely the mismanagement by the state government of the water resources over the past seven or eight years that has left us in the position we have been in. It has taken no action, and only today we saw the Minister for Water Security totally stumbling on how much stormwater had been collected and a number of other questions. The fact is that the Fleurieu and South Coast do not deserve to be on the harsh restrictions they are on. It is through no fault of their own that water is drawn off from Myponga through to Happy Valley and that they are left in a position where they are put under unfair water restrictions. The great holiday destination that is the South Coast suffers because of this, with the parks and private gardens and everything else that goes with them put under an incredible amount of pressure, which they should not have to be.

There is more than adequate water in the Myponga dam. We have had a magnificent winter on the Fleurieu; indeed, it has been a magnificent winter in many parts of the state and the high rainfall areas: the southern Eyre Peninsula, the Yorke Peninsula and the Lower South-East, Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula and those other areas.

We are actually back to an average season, and the catchments have reacted accordingly. Even in the last 24 hours we have had significant rainfall with more forecast for the Adelaide Hills which will put more and more water into Adelaide's reservoirs and to some extent stop the wholesale pumping from the River Murray.

There is absolutely no necessity for us to have these severe restrictions down there. It comes to my attention quite regularly from constituents down there that they do not think they should be penalised to the degree that they are. I ask the government to consider that and I particularly ask SA Water to advise the government to have these restrictions loosened somewhat so that people can look after their pride and joy, their gardens, and so that our towns can service their parks and gardens with a more than adequate success rate and not have to see them wither and die during what could be again a long, hot, dry summer and autumn.

It is simply an abrogation of responsibility by the Rann Labor government to have us in the position that we are in. It should never have happened. It is said time and again by government ministers that they cannot make it rain. That is not the point. Of course they cannot make it rain and neither can this side of the house but they could have taken some action. They have taken no action to assist the people of South Australia in the years they have been in government.

The desalination plant was the Liberal Party's initiative a number of years ago, as members will recall. The government has done nothing on stormwater. Only yesterday, the amount of water that was running down the Patawalonga drain and everywhere else out into Gulf St Vincent was alarming. The government has done absolutely nothing. It stands condemned for its inaction on water. It is an outrageous disgrace. For heaven's sake, assist the people of the South Coast and reduce these restrictions.

Time expired.

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