Willunga Water Trail

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Minister, will you update the chamber on the new water trail recently opened in McLaren Vale and how it will help people understand the complex groundwater system?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:12): At last, we get to a decent question from the member and I thank him, after that interlude. It is an important question, and members opposite would do well to listen to the answer. It was a great pleasure—

The PRESIDENT: Is the answer relevant, minister?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: That is a very subjective question, Mr President, as you pointed out somewhat earlier today.

The PRESIDENT: You want to make sure it is relevant.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I will do my best to endeavour to convince you of its relevance, Mr President, and you are the only important person in this place on questions of that substance. It was a great pleasure to officially open the new groundwater signage trail at McLaren Vale on Friday. This water trail will be an important educational tool together with the significant research being carried out in the area. It is also a further example of this government's commitment towards securing our water supply and increasing South Australians' awareness of our important water sources in this state.

This government has had a strong and decisive focus on water security over our time in office and because of factors such as the drought and overallocation of Murray River water by upstream states, we have had to make significant investments in order to guarantee South Australia's water supply into the future. These investments include infrastructure that has seen South Australia become a leader in stormwater harvesting and re-use, the 100-gigalitre Adelaide desalination plant and of course the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

But groundwater is another vital source of water for South Australia. It is used across many industries such as agriculture for things such as irrigation and drinking water for livestock, in mining and manufacturing, as well as to supply households with water and input into potable water supply networks. South Australia has limited surface water resources outside the River Murray and the Mount Lofty Ranges, and this means that groundwater is the key water source for most of regional South Australia, including regional centres such as Mount Gambier and Port Lincoln; it is also the only source of water for the Aboriginal communities in the APY lands.

Increased use of groundwater means that this resource must be managed effectively and carefully, but it must be managed based on sound science and research, taking into account how it fits with all our other water sources. This will help us develop sustainable limits for water extraction or gaining a better understanding of the impact on and the requirements of dependent ecosystems.

South Australia has been at the forefront of groundwater science in this country, and Flinders University of South Australia, the greatest university in the country if not the world, has been instrumental in educating and training our groundwater scientists. It is the only university in Australia that offers an undergraduate groundwater science degree course. In 2009, Flinders University successfully bid to establish the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training right here in our state. The centre has gained an outstanding national and international reputation for groundwater research and training.

The state government, through the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, SA Water and the former United Water, supported the establishment of the centre's headquarters at Flinders University. This financial assistance of just over $1 million, I think, over five years from 2009-10 has ensured the continued presence of this important research in our state.

In 2010, the centre successfully bid for $15 million of infrastructure funding from the commonwealth government to establish several groundwater super science sites across Australia. These sites will create new opportunities for research on groundwater, based on long-term detailed data. The Willunga Basin will be one of these sites. This is a particularly interesting place for groundwater research because of the innovative methods used to safeguard groundwater storage.

Groundwater in the Willunga Basin is critical for many of our key industries in the McLaren Vale area, including wine, fruits and nuts. It is clear, however, that local groundwater cannot meet the total irrigation demand of the region. Researchers have therefore pioneered a method of recharge of aquifers with treated stormwater and recycled water, which is being used for irrigation purposes. This makes the Willunga Basin an ideal location for a super science site as a field laboratory.

In addition to this important high-level research, the centre also believes in the importance of educating the general public about groundwater. However, groundwater can be a difficult concept for many people to understand. Not only is it underground—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I should probably start again.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Brokenshire, I know that you're enthusiastic. You are the next questioner I think, so please wait.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: That's if he gets a question today. I think I have another 10 minutes worth of conversation on this one, sir.

An honourable member: That's what you call mocking the house.

The PRESIDENT: Let's try to be quick so that we can get a question, minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Just mocking you. Groundwater can be a difficult concept for many people to understand, including the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, obviously. Not only is it underground, making it difficult to see, but there is also little infrastructure above ground for people to see and touch. The National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training has therefore developed a water trail to help people understand how the entire system works and how important it is.

The trail is made up of a series of signs corresponding to one of the six main features of the groundwater system in the Willunga Basin. It is very important that all South Australians appreciate just how precious groundwater is and why it needs to be protected. When more people understand this, our collective responsibility towards water will grow. One of the great things about this water trail is that the centre has partnered with local businesses and the City of Onkaparinga, which have allowed the signs to be located on their properties.

I thank all those who have agreed to be involved because this will ensure that the signs will be noticed by a wider range of visitors and tourists to the area, and I thank the students of Christies Beach High School, who are part of the initial stages of designing the signs. I know, and I think that we should all understand, that managing our water supplies into the future with a variable climate will require adaptive and innovative solutions. This requires ongoing research and opportunities for the public to be well informed about our water system. I commend the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Flinders University, the greatest university in the world, and the Goyder Institute for their important work in this area.