“According to the Herald’s Anne Davies (16/2/7), the Labor Government asked highly prejudicial questions about recyled water to produce negative poll results. Respondents were asked whether they were comfortable with “drinking recycled sewage, including toilet water”, when they could have been asked “Would you be prepared to drink recycled effluent if we could ensure that it was cleaned to the same standard as water drawn from our dams?””, said Bernard Rooney, Greens candidate for Drummoyne.
“I note that the questions did not even broach the most important initiatives, namely reducing water usage and reusing water.”
“This is a lousy method of policy formation. And the big curiosity in the Iemma Government’s attitude is exactly why it is determined to block alternative methods and commit the State to a desalination plant.
“Leadership is required to show the public the desirability of reducing, reusing and recycling water as the answer to conditions of drought. The Iemma Government is not providing this, instead it has has been engaging in scare campaigns about drinking toilet water.
The Greens, of course, reject the desalination plant. In addition to its high cost, water from a desalination plant is, as Premier Bob Carr originally remarked, ‘bottled electricity’. At a time when it is urgent to conserve energy due to global warming, the high energy consumption of a desalination plant rules it out of consideration.
Mr Debnam’s sewer recycling plan is better than a desalination plant, however just introducing Level IV water restrictions alone would deliver the same benefit as Mr Debnam’s plan.
- Doubling the current rebates on rainwater tank
- Improving household water efficiency
- Enhancing BASIX
- Immediately introducing Level IV water restriction
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