Page 3384 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 17 September 1991
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system that they instituted, was able to reduce quite considerably the amount of water that it was using. This year, instead of running at a deficit, the Hunter Water Board has just turned in a $10m profit to the State Government on its operations.
In Newcastle they provided a base charge of $80 and then charged 71.8c per kilolitre for every kilolitre from 0 to 1,000 kilolitres. In Perth the base figure is $113.40, and they operate a sliding scale. The first 150 kilolitres are free, and right up to in excess of 1,950 kilolitres the charge is 96c per kilolitre. They are a little bit ahead of the times, because in the same article they refer to Canberra as having a $200 base charge, with the first 350 kilolitres free, and a charge of 53c per kilolitre above that. It would seem that they have anticipated the vote of the Assembly today.
At this stage, obviously, much more work needs to be put into how we adopt a charging system for our water if we are going to reduce the per capita water use in the ACT. There are a number of options, Mr Speaker, that the Government can take in relation to reduction of the per capita water use in Canberra. The first thing they can do, Mr Speaker, is install water savers to all showers and dual flush cisterns in all new and refurbished Housing Trust homes. When you look at the percentages, a quite considerable amount of water that we use in the ACT - it is the same in other States - gets flushed down the loo. A quite considerable amount is also used on our gardens.
In the ACT that is first-class water. It is water that has had to be treated. It has some fluoride in it, but it has had to be chemically treated and it has had to be transported. Each litre of water that you have to treat and transport and deal with through a sewerage system costs a quite considerable amount of money in energy use. We are finding that, the more water we use, the more energy we use to shift it around our system and to treat it.
In relation to the Housing Trust, another area that they could go to would be the installation of microwatering systems in the gardens, particularly in those units that are being developed for aged persons units. They could operate on some form of time system similar to one that I have at home. I might indicate here that in the whole time that I have been in Canberra I have yet to receive an excess water bill. I think that is something that it is appropriate for the Housing Trust to investigate. I notice Mr Connolly nodding in agreement.
I am sure Mr Connolly is aware, because it was started during the days of the Alliance Government, that ACTEW is constructing in the Tuggeranong Valley a model home which picks up the issues related to not just energy use but also water use. I think that is something that young new home buyers in the ACT should consider. We also have to consider the move towards solar power for hot water within our area; but that is another debate.
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