A good leader will always listen and stay in touch with the community.
Last night there was some discussion on the evening news about comments
I had expressed in 2005 about drinking recycled water. It is true,
back then I held a different view. I made this clear when I announced
my ‘New Water’ Network policy last Friday. I said that it was now time
to go further.
Since that time, the water crisis has deepened and Labor have tried
to lock the state into an expensive and environmentally damaging
desalination plant. I formed the view that the people of NSW should be
given a better choice. It was time to embrace recycled water to boost
our drinking supplies.
The community wants all options considered to tackle our water crisis. Unlike Labor, I have listened to them.
The debate about how we should tackle our water crisis has moved on.
The community is increasingly embracing recycled water for drinking
purposes. It is time to make the change. I have moved on and made the
change. Yesterday I was in North Richmond, where I backed up my
position by taking the ultimate taste test and the proof was in the
drinking - no difference.
It is Labor and Morris Iemma who are stuck in denial about drinking
recycled water. If they believe that drinking recycled water is unsafe,
they should say so. But they know this is not true.
Instead of being truthful about drinking recycled water and encouraging
this positive mood for change, they are engaging in a dishonest and
negative scare campaign that will take us backwards and lock us into
desalination.
Every time you hear Morris Iemma say the word sewage, it is a reminder
that Labor are just not serious about taking a positive approach to
tackling our water crisis. After twelve years of failing to plan and
act on water, it is all just about the pre-election politics for Labor.
This election is our opportunity to take a different path. We cannot
allow our state and our city to become dependent only on desalination
for our future drinking water needs. As I said yesterday, it just
doesn’t make sense.
As we move forward I intend to keep in touch with the community on
this issue. Critical in this process is to ensure that the right
safeguards are in place to protect the community and that we take the
community with us.
That is why as part of the Liberal/Nationals plan I have committed $10.7 million over four years for community engagement and safeguards including:
1. Establishing a Water Excellence Panel (WEP) of
independent experts and community representatives to be the community
watchdog and standard setter for recycled water quality, including the
terms and conditions upon which the Government could ‘flick the switch’
for blending ‘New Water’ into the drinking supply,
2. Creating and legislating a Water Quality Charter binding the Government and the Parliament to the conditions and safeguards established by the WEP,
3. Appointing an Independent Water Commissioner
to implement the Charter and cut through the red tape and bureaucracy
that has paralysed NSW from dealing with the water crisis and continue
to engage with the community, and
4. Construct a ‘Water Factory’ at Homebush as an education and technology centre on water recycling.
The focus is on continuing to listen to the community and to further encourage community acceptance and understanding.
Unlike Labor, I have great faith in the people of NSW to be positive
about this approach and to embrace it as a way forward to tackle our
water crisis.
Regards,
Peter Debnam.
PS. For details of our regional water plans for the Central Coast, Goulburn/Southern Highlands and the Far West please visit http://www.peterdebnam.com.au.
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