Page 2034 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
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It is very easy, Madam Speaker, to appear to do the right thing in a process of community consultation without achieving solid reliable data which is a true reflection of what people feel about the issue. In this survey, Madam Speaker, Quadrant contacted a sample of 579 people by telephone. Initially, they were asked about their attitudes to ACTEW. Then they were asked to attend community forums, representing the ACT community, to put their views on water conservation. Despite considerable encouragement from Quadrant, only 249 of the original 579 people contacted attended the community forums. What we have here, Madam Speaker, is a self-selected sample of 249 people - the 249 people who chose to attend the community forums after their initial interviews.
On presentation at the community forums, people were made aware that ACTEW representatives were in attendance to initially brief people on a number of the matters in relation to water conservation. At that stage they were asked to complete extensive surveys. Madam Speaker, question No. 14 was the nub of the survey. It was the question about desired water pricing arrangements. Interestingly, the people who attended the community forums said that altering the pricing arrangements for water rates was their third preferred strategy in relation to what could be done to encourage water conservation. Not surprisingly, the first and second preferences were greater education and awareness and greater emphasis on water conservation and efficiencies.
Madam Speaker, the most interesting part of the survey results is the direct quoting of a number of comments made by people attending the community forums about water conservation strategies, and I would like to mention a number of them. I realise that these comments are selective in a way, but I think they are indicative of the goodwill that people who attended the community forums expressed. The question was:
To what extent do you think the current water pricing system is equitable? Please write down your reason.
Some of the responses were:
There needs to be some cross subsidisation - these occur in many aspects of community life. People with large families ought to be taken into account if system is changed ...
The price should provide an incentive for consumers to minimise water use and a disincentive for consumers to maximise use, as a public utility. ACTEW should not be required to make a profit but must be seen to be efficient.
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