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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-19 Daily Xml
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South Para Reservoir

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the 60th anniversary of the South Para Reservoir, which is the most recent and largest of the reservoirs in the South Para system;

2. Highlights the importance of water storage to supply urban and industrial areas;

3. Takes note of the 60th anniversary to be celebrated with a book launch, bus tours and barbecue to be held at the Senior Citizens/RSL Hall, Williamstown, on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October 2018 from 11am;

4. Recognises the enormous contribution to the construction of the reservoir by migrants from other countries and the community feeling, which quickly developed amongst the families which lived on site; and

5. Acknowledges the work of the organising committee and the sponsors of the event SA Water, Williamstown Hotel, Williamstown Post Office and Smith Bros.

(Continued from 5 September 2018.)

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (16:41): I move to amend the motion as follows:

Insert after paragraph 2 a new paragraph 2(a) as follows:

2. (a) Acknowledges the health risks of opening up drinking water reservoirs for recreational activities.

One of the Liberal Party election commitments was to open a number of South Australia's reservoirs for recreational activities. I have some serious concerns about the health risks associated with this policy. Even the Liberals in their own election documents say, 'We will ensure that the opening of each reservoir is undertaken with great care to prevent any possible adverse impacts on the quality and security of our drinking water supplies.' However, it is not clear how this will be achieved.

I understand that a multiagency task force is now looking at 12 reservoirs around the state. So far, we have received no updates in regard to what the task force has learned or what they are planning to do to ensure the water quality is not affected. The Liberals want to open the gates to the Happy Valley Reservoir, the Tod and the Barossa reservoirs, as well as the Myponga, South Para and Hope Valley reservoirs, but there is research that shows that these reservoirs, which provide our state with drinking water, should not be used for recreational activities.

In South Australia, we entrust water treatment facilities with the responsibility of providing safe drinking water. There are several ways contamination risks can also enter the waterways, and already SA Water has said that the move could cost somewhere between $25 million and $200 million to ensure all concerns are addressed and public safety is assured.

Giardia and other harmful parasites are very easily spread via drinking water that is not properly managed, and we have seen the devastation of poor water management in other countries, particularly in the US town of Flint, Michigan. As I am sure members would be aware, residents there have been using bottled water since 2016 after their water supply was contaminated with lead.

Although reservoirs are often open in other states, there have been significant issues and enormous financial cost. While opening up the reservoirs may seem like a good idea, there are real and significant risks associated with this policy.

We all have a responsibility to influence the management of water to achieve the better outcomes. We must protect our aquatic ecosystems with the intention of ensuring their sustainability and their protection for future generations. We must reject opportunism, eliminate mismanagement and reduce pollution of our essential, life-sustaining water resources, which are so valuable to this state. For that reason, I commend this motion and the amendment to the chamber.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (16:45): Let me just say at the outset that when the Hon. John Dawkins said he was bringing this motion to a vote, my view was that it would have been fairly straightforward; it is a motion acknowledging an historical event, recognising people who were involved and acknowledging an organising committee that is involved with an historic occasion.

Normally motions like this, which we do every Wednesday in state parliament, where we recognise things that are happening or have happened, go through without too much fuss. We now have an amendment to the motion, which I think I will just address in two ways. The first thing is that my personal practice is not to amend other people's motions if they are not political. That tends to be my approach.

There are always grey areas and, as the Hon. Justin Hanson pointed out, this motion raises the issue of reservoirs. Before the election, there was the issue of whether we should boat in reservoirs or use reservoirs for recreation, so there is a connection.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: It's a very long bow.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: The Hon. John Dawkins says it is a long bow and I will accept that it is a long bow. Before the election, the Liberal Party put on the agenda that reservoirs might be opened up for recreation. The Hon. Justin Hanson has taken this opportunity and added an extra line to the motion. The line reads that the Legislative Council:

2 (a) Acknowledges the health risks of opening up drinking water reservoirs for recreational activities.

Looking purely at the merit of the words, I agree absolutely. There are risks associated with opening up reservoirs for recreational activities. I am very nervous about opening up reservoirs for recreational activities, especially if they are our sources of drinking water.

The words are not exceptionable; there are risks. I think even the government would have to admit that there are risks, which is why in their pre-election statements they talked about how it would be managed—they would not allow every form of recreation, only some. At face value, it is stating the obvious: there are health risks with opening up reservoirs.

So, I separate the two issues out. In some ways, it might be regarded as poor form to have attached this issue to a motion which related to something entirely different, but we are in politics, we are in parliament, and if I had a dollar for every time someone has messed with a Greens motion, I would be wealthy. They tend to be the more political ones. We know, for example, that if a motion before this council ends with the words, '…and this council condemns the government for (insert failing here)', then, of course, the government is going to come back and say, 'Replace that line with "…that this council congratulates the government on doing a wonderful job on (insert topic here)".'

Whilst my original thought was, 'Well, let's just let this motion go through unamended,' because it did not really relate to the issue that the Hon. Justin Hanson has now added to it, the point is that he has added it and it is an important issue. From a Greens perspective—my colleague may have some additional remarks to make—we need the record to show that we are concerned about the risks of opening up reservoirs for recreational activities. Leaving aside whether this is the right location for it, it is on the agenda and the Greens therefore will be supporting the amendment moved by the Hon. Justin Hanson.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (16:49): I do want to speak on this particular motion. I rise in support of this motion and have a few short words about the South Para Reservoir. The South Para Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in South Australia, and whilst it has a capacity of about 45,330 megalitres, it only fills completely about every five years due to its size and location in the catchment area. Together with Kangaroo Creek and Myponga, it is one of the last three major reservoirs constructed in this state.

Construction on the South Para Reservoir began in 1949 in response to the increase in population as a result of migration following the Second World War. As such, as the Hon. John Dawkins outlined in his motion, there was a lot of input from migrants on the construction of the reservoir. Construction was not completed until 1958 due to the increase in demand on resources and limited funding in the post-war boom.

I remember the reservoir fondly because I made several trips to see the progression of this major project from 1954 to 1958 when I was working as a junior draftsman in the design branch of the engineering and water supply department. I also remember visiting the construction sites of the Mannum-Adelaide Pipeline at this time and witnessing the early stage of the development of what was known as the new city north of Adelaide, later to be named Elizabeth.

In addition to the many others who contributed to the construction of the South Para Reservoir we should acknowledge the work done by the then engineering chief, Mr Julian Dridan; the engineer for construction, Mr Gilbert Poole; the engineer for design, Mr Harold Beaney; and the resident engineer in charge of the project, Mr Len Burnett. I thank the Hon. John Dawkins for moving this motion and wish every success for the 60th anniversary celebrations.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:51): I rise on behalf of the Greens as the portfolio holder to address this motion, and give our support for this motion, and indeed for the amendment, which I think is actually not controversial in that it acknowledges the health risks of opening up drinking water reservoirs for recreational activities. It is merely a statement of fact and, in that, we are happy to both note the extensive work that was done by the WA parliament with significant warnings about the opening up of reservoirs for recreational activities and draw the council's and, indeed, the Liberal government's attention to that WA report, 'Effects of recreational activities on source water protection areas' and the literature that is available through that extensive inquiry.

As my colleague has as much to say on behalf of the Greens, we reiterate our support for both the motion and the amendment, and with those few words, look forward to collegiate and hopefully consensual acknowledgement of the science.

The PRESIDENT: Does any other honourable member wish to make a contribution before I ask the Hon. Mr Pangallo?

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:52): Thank you, Mr President. I was not listed to speak about this—

The PRESIDENT: That's fine.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: —but my intention is to now, actually.

The PRESIDENT: I gathered that.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Thank you. I am supporting the Hon. John Dawkins' motion, and I will not be supporting the Hon. Justin Hanson's motion. The reason for that is that I do not think that this is the appropriate place for that debate at this point. Interestingly enough, I raised this matter earlier this week in a Budget and Finance Committee meeting because, like Mr Hanson, I do have concerns about that policy by the Liberal Party, but I think that needs to be debated at another time, when and if any legislation does come before the Legislative Council. What I wanted to add, though, is my own personal reflections of the South Para Reservoir. As a grade 7 student at Thebarton Primary School—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: 20 years ago.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: —no, not 20 years, it was 1966—one of our excursions for the day was a bus trip to seven Adelaide dams and reservoirs. I have to say, looking back on it now, it was probably one of the most boring excursions I have ever encountered because if you have seen one reservoir, you have seen them all. But the South Para Reservoir was the first one we visited and I remember it fondly because our teacher at the time spoke about the construction phase, how it important it was for South Australia, what it would do, and also the contributions that had been made by many people in South Australia, including, actually, some relatives of mine who worked in the construction phase.

I found it quite an impressive place to visit. The fact that it is now 60 years old and still going strong is an indicator of the quality of work that was carried out there. In fact, in my time at Channel 7, I happened across some lost black-and-white footage of the building phase and the opening of the South Para Reservoir that had been taken by an Adelaide archivist. It was actually quite interesting to see this project from the beginning and then through to the end with the governor of the time, who I believe may have officiated at the opening of it all.

In closing, I think there are certainly concerns about the Liberal government's policy of opening up the reservoirs to all sorts of public activity, but that needs to be addressed when the matter comes before parliament, and I think that we will leave that for another time. In the meantime, I think we stick with convention. I will not be supporting the motion of the Hon. Justin Hanson. I speak on behalf of the Hon. Connie Bonaros, my colleague, as well.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:56): I thank the honourable members—Mr Darley, Mr Parnell, Mr Hanson, Ms Franks and Mr Pangallo—for their contributions to a debate that I probably did not anticipate when I brought this motion to the chamber. However, I would like to make some brief comments about the actual celebration that this motion is about. The celebration will take place, as the motion says, on Saturday 13 October and Sunday 14 October. I will be pleased to attend on the 13th.

At 11 in the morning in Williamstown there will be some speeches and a special welcome to visitors. There will be the launch of the book by Martin Johnson, who is the chair of the organising committee, called Twenty Houses: An Anecdotal History of the Building of the South Para Reservoir 1948-1958, as well as a talk by Shauna Gejas and a photographic display depicting former residents and the work sites of the reservoir. Cathy Young will put on display some wonderful historic bottles and jars from the work campsites of the South Para. That is the sort of voluntary effort that has gone into this event—an event that has been supported in its long-term planning by both the member for Light, Mr Piccolo, and myself.

I think that we need to concentrate on the fact that this motion is about the celebration of a significant milestone in South Australia's history. It is worth going back to the fact that the planning for the South Para Reservoir meant that an area of at least 405 hectares would be needed to accommodate an estimated 45,460 megalitres of water. Considerable farming, grazing and orchard land, together with some marginal land, was acquired to meet this large volume. It also meant that it was necessary to completely demolish the Gilberts' winery and homestead (called Wongalere), clear a large amount of native scrub and deviate the Kersbrook-Williamstown road onto a higher level bridge, which those of us who have visited the site are well aware of.

It is also interesting to note that during the late 1940s and early 1950s, when full-scale clearing of the scrubland was in progress, the timber mills at Williamstown were producing fence posts out of the logs taken from the large hardwoods, leaving the twisted heavy-limbed tops to firewood contractors. That is something I remember from my youth. The timber mills were a very big industry in Williamstown.

I will not go into any more of the details of the day, but there is no doubt that there has been an enormous amount of effort, put on totally by volunteers, to celebrate this particular 60th anniversary. I am pleased that on 13 October the Minister for Environment and Water, the Hon. David Speirs, will be there and will be speaking, as will the member for Light, the Hon. Tony Piccolo, as he has supported this project right the way through. They will be showing their support for the organising committee.

To sum up a couple of the comments made, the Hon. Mr Hanson, in moving his amendment, then proceeded to make significant reference to water quality in the details of his amendment. I kept waiting for any reference to the South Para Reservoir and its 60th anniversary, and, sadly, it did not come. I think that is a great shame. I acknowledge his right and that of the Labor Party—although no-one in the Labor Party has told me who has actually initiated this amendment and no-one is taking ownership of it—but I think it would have been appropriate, at least in moving an amendment, to address the topic, and the topic is the 60th anniversary of the South Para Reservoir.

The Hon. Mark Parnell, in his comments, which I respect, did I think put into perspective his views about why the Greens are supporting the amendment. He said that we are in politics and we are in parliament and so these are the sorts of things that do happen. All I can say is that the people organising this event, who have put hundreds and probably thousands of hours into it, are not in politics and are not in parliament. They were very pleased about this motion being in the parliament and so, really, it is a pity that they have had this attempt to add a political comment to what is a congratulatory motion.

Very briefly, the Hon. Mr Pangallo used the words 'fond memories' and the Hon. Mr Darley gave us a unique set of personal memories that no-one else in this place could have provided, and I think that was very valuable. Fond memories and personal memories are what this motion is about. That is what this celebration is about. These people are the family of the workers who built that dam and built a very valuable reservoir for South Australia. They have fabulous memories of living in that little community outside of Williamstown in fairly ordinary accommodation. I could have read out some descriptions of the standard of the single men's quarters. I will not, but it was not too flash.

I think the reality is, in indicating that I do not support the amendment, the motion, as it stands, is here to highlight those memories, to highlight the celebration of a valuable piece of South Australian history and the contribution of obviously the many workers and their families to the project overall but of their children and grandchildren and many other people who want to just have that recognised as a very valuable part of South Australian history. I commend the motion as it stands to the council.

The PRESIDENT: For the benefit of honourable members, the question I am going to put is that the new paragraph 2(a) as proposed to be inserted by the Hon. J.E. Hanson be so inserted.

Amendment negatived; motion carried.

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