Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (5 June) . . Page.. 1966 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

the growing community interest in water and land management and the need for partnership for effective action;

national and regional responsibilities, including responsibilities as a participant in the Murray-Darling Basin initiative; and

growing interest in urban water sustainability and emerging opportunity to implement water sensitive urban design.

Planning by Environment ACT for the revision of the water resources management plan is already way. The preparation of the plan will include substantial stakeholder involvement and it will be subject to disallowance in this Assembly and therefore considerable debate.

In summary, I certainly agree, and the government agrees, that there are potentially significant environmental recreational and amenity benefits along with substantial infrastructure savings to be gained by avoiding the need for another dam. Really, we do not need another one -certainly not at the moment. We will seek for formalise this aim through the revised water resources management plan, but it will also involve significant change to the way in which we manage water resources and will require a strong commitment from the community generally.

One of my amendments seeks to place the words "as far as possible" at the beginning of part (1) (a) of Ms Tucker's motion. If my amendment is accepted, that part of the motion would read that the Assembly agrees that "as far as possible the building of further water supply dams in the ACT should be avoided". We would all agree with that. Those words mirror the words that Ms Tucker has used at part (2) (a), where she acknowledges that, as far as possible, we should manage our increasing population from within existing capacities.

The water resource management plan will also address water quality issues and, in particular, how to reduce further the impact of the urban area on downstream waters. The setting of environmental flows is already a statutory requirement in the ACT and studies currently under way will assist in improving the delivery of those flows. Fostering of water conservation and re-use will be integral to the revised water resources management plan.

I have indicated one aspect of my amendments and we give broad support to the sentiments in Ms Tucker's motion. I have a further amendment to delete paragraph (2) (b), which the government believes does not really reflect the circumstances that now apply. Mr Quinlan, who is an expert in this area, will provide the reasons for requiring or seeking that deletion.

Ms Tucker: My amendment changes that.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .