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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 3430 ..

MR WOOD: I am sure that at various times you can find sprinklers that aren't working as they have been set.

Mr Cornwell: They were working. That was the trouble.

MR WOOD: Not working as they were set to work, Mr Cornwell. They can be interfered with at various times.

The main initiatives under level 1-Comtrol managed areas-are:

reduce the irrigation rates to replace 60 per cent of evaporation, down from the normal 65 per cent replacement;

in other areas, reduce the watering of non-essential areas and cut back hours of operation in all areas by approximately 5 per cent; and

as far as possible, only operate automatic systems between 10 pm and 6 am, except for essential repairs and the like.

We also want to provide signage to plumbers and irrigation supervisors so that they can indicate to the public-you should hear this, Mr Cornwell-when essential repairs or other activity are being undertaken. Sometimes people do not understand what is happening.

In addition to those level 1 measures, other initiatives are:

watering around government buildings to cease;

all sprinkler systems to be audited to make sure they are all pointing the right way; and-

they can be interfered with-

all water licences-that is, licences to take water out of the system-to be reviewed, even to the extent that the requirement that DUS vehicles be kept clean has now been waived and they need only be washed once a month.

That is a measure of the extent to which these things are being applied. It may not be long before we move to a level 2 condition, which is more stringent again.

There is an acknowledgment that some of our prime playing fields justify an amount of water because of the considerable expense if they deteriorate. There are priority levels for those playing areas. But I think you will notice that the town is pretty dry, and even those areas that get some watering are pretty dry.

University of Canberra-fraud allegations

MR SMYTH: My question is for the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, students of the University of Canberra have alleged that the union improperly paid $50,000 to a company for the linked intellectual property rights to the name of the stomp dance party. The stomp dance party was developed by the union and has been held annually as part of the university's Stone Week celebrations since 1997. Both the union's

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