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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-26 Daily Xml
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KLEMZIG GROUNDWATER TESTING

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:30): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. In accordance with the minister's statement to the house today, does the minister consider it reasonable that residents have to first identify if there is groundwater contamination in their area via the EPA website, and then have to make an appointment with the EPA to go and look at the register to find out the details of any such plume, and pay for the privilege of doing so some $17.40 for every 10 minutes that they inspect the register? Is that making access to this information easier?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You have asked your question. Be quiet.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (15:31): Of course, I refer the opposition back to the previous statement, and that is the advice that is provided in the alerts that are issued from health. If you have access to groundwater, don't use it. If you are going to use it, don't drink it, but have it tested and have it tested every two years thereafter. What the EPA did was contact the 17 registered bore owners within the area. They were provided information that, of course, was not charged to them; they did not pay for that information. The EPA contacted them via phone, via doorknocking and provided the results, particularly on those four bores—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Well, part of that was determining—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Part of that was determining, which was a previous question, whether or not contamination had moved off that site. There is no contamination. There was no contamination.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Well, the only reason people—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for MacKillop.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Had different information been found by the EPA with respect to those bores, a different level of notification similar to what has occurred at—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. The question was about the fact that you have to pay $17.40 for every 10 minutes—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: —to access this information. The question is: does the minister think that is reasonable?

The SPEAKER: I think your point of order was irrelevance, but I did not hear what you said for all the yelling.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Yes, irrelevance: that's right. It was, Madam Speaker, but that is for you to determine, not me. Quite simply, a change of policy occurred some time ago and that is that those people who are affected by contamination on their site are not required to pay for that information. That information will be provided free of charge.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Well, what the residents of Klemzig know now is something that is not the case because of the irresponsible and reckless behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for MacKillop, you are warned for the second time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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