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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 3496 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

other nations in times of natural disaster. This drought, which is now probably the worst in 100 years, is certainly in that category.

As I said, 99 per cent of New South Wales is now drought declared. The only area in New South Wales not under drought is Bombala on the far south coast. Members would be aware that Melbourne has recently announced that it is imposing water restrictions on citizens, and the ACT is presently considering such restrictions.

The stop the drop campaign which the Urban Services Minister mentioned he had launched recently is obviously designed to address ACT citizens' water use, and the extent to which we can personally take steps to rein in our consumption of water has been outlined already today by Vicki Dunne in referring to measures that we might take to affect our own consumption. But we cannot affect the amount of water that falls from the sky. The appropriate reaction in those circumstances is to address the concern, the distress and the hardship being faced by Australians across wide reaches of this nation.

The Yarrowlumla Shire Council announced water restrictions for Bungendore and Captains Flat just last night. They decided to provide free drinking water to rural residents who are running out of rainwater supplies.

The effect of the drought on ordinary individuals is very severe. Members may recall an article that appeared in Saturday's Canberra Times about farmers on a property just outside Bigga, a community near Goulburn. Farmers Kate and Robert Hammond have six children and almost no water. Their property, at least nominally, is on Bushrangers Gully and Long Swamp Creek. Their water tanks have long since run dry, and there is no water to pump from the adjacent Wyangala Dam.

According to the article, the family has had to resort to carting water from a barely running creek a few kilometres from their home. The water is boiled and then kept in three-litre milk bottles. Mrs Hammond is quoted as saying:

Today I can quite honestly tell you I have seven litres of water.

I don't know what we will have tomorrow.

The Hammonds are having to scrutinise every drop of water they use. Their car has not been washed in a year. They use stagnant water from a disused swimming pool to flush the toilet in their home. Clothes are washed in muddy water. There is a laundromat in Goulburn but it is an hour's drive away. It is something of a luxury.

The six children, aged two to 15, share the bath water. As Mrs Hammond puts it, the cleanest one goes in first. Mrs Hammond also reports that she has forgotten "the joy of hopping under the shower". She says:

When we clean our teeth we're allowed a little bit of water in a cup, there's no running of the tap.

And you'd be surprised how clean you could get a baby with one litre of water.

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