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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-03-06 Daily Xml
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Clare Valley Water Levy

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. What does the minister say to Clare Valley residents like Annabelle Freeman? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: Residents pay a water levy of approximately $260 but have had no water to pump because they have been dry for the last two years. The department notice stipulates, and I quote, 'Interest accrues on an unpaid levy from the due date in accordance with section 83 of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.'

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (15:10): I can sympathise with people who are dealing with not having water when they are used to having water. The truth is, the way that the Landscape Act works—and it was most recently updated by your side of politics, which didn't touch any of the rules to do with the water levy. You didn't touch them, totally happy with them—changed the law, changed the name, because apparently 'landscapes' is something used in Scotland. That was an expression that was used. It had to have its own name, but didn't change anything to do with the law.

There have been recommendations made for having a proper look at the water levy approach, made in a review done by the Hon. John Hill, and that is under consideration at the moment within the department and is something that I think is likely to form the basis of legislative reform in the next term of government should we be in a position to do that. In the meantime, I am wanting to hear from people who are in particularly difficult circumstances, so I would urge your constituent to write to me. If she has already written to me then we are already looking at it.

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