Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-17 Daily Xml

Contents

Greywater Compliance

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Water and the River Murray on the subject of greywater compliance on the River Murray.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Honourable members may be aware that at the height of the drought working groups were established to look at greywater systems for houseboats for the River Murray, which led to the production of the 'Code of Practice for vessel and facility management (marine and inland waters)', in particular the greywater section for inland waters. A number of different stakeholders had different roles on a working group, including the EPA, which was to develop checklists and certificates for slipway operators, reporting systems, issue authorisations to slipway operators involved in a trial and provide ongoing support to slipway operators involved in a trial. My questions for the minister are:

1. Can he provide a status update on this particular program and, in particular, the number of staff from the EPA who are still involved?

2. Are there any compliance matters that may have been detected within the last two years?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:26): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. As honourable members will know, I have commented in this place previously about our greywater programs on the River Murray. Largely, they are to do with upgrading the pumping stations and refurbishing the holding tanks. We have been doing that progressively over a period of 24 months, I understand, and we are about to come to the end of that refurbishment program. In terms of the EPA's program for audits, I do not have that information presently before me, but I will seek that out and bring back that information for the honourable member.