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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 11 Hansard (21 October) . . Page.. 3866 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

infrastructure of the garden survived the fire. The xeriscape garden-an underutilised resource in the ACT-was a more than appropriate place from which to launch this year's Water Week because it is all about more sustainable water use within our gardens and our community.

There are displays, examples, advice and information in the xeriscape garden on drought-resistant planting-plants that thrive on limited water-the treatment of waste and the importance of mulch. There is a very interesting toilet arrangement powered by solar power and a self-reducing effluent arrangement.

Ms Tucker has referred to the importance of the strategies that we developed for the ACT in relation to our use of water across the board-in the broader community, in our homes, in industry and in our activities. Associated with that are the decisions that we take in relation to urban design and the extent to which we can work more sustainably with water, particularly in relation to run-off and water catchment within the urban areas and in relation to our homes.

These issues will be addressed in the water strategy, which I am hopeful of releasing within the next 10 days or so. The draft water strategy has been finalised and will be considered by cabinet next Monday. Subject to the outcomes of that, I anticipate releasing it very shortly thereafter-indeed, as soon as we can arrange to have it printed.

It will go to all of the issues of how we can make water use around our homes far more constructive and far more sustainable. This is a response to the draft water policy I released some months ago, which set out a basic framework for water usage that would underpin the strategy we have now developed with some very significant community contribution. I thank everybody who has been part and parcel of that.

In relation to targets, we are looking to determine whether we can achieve a 12 per cent reduction in the per capita use of total water over the next 10 years and perhaps 20 to 25 per cent by 2023, or in the next 20 years. That is a significant target but, in regard to the reduction in water usage that has been achieved over the last 10 years, more than achievable.

The community has shown a real willingness to participate, in a community minded way and as partners in this effort, in achieving a reduction of that order. Associated with that is our determination to utilise what we once called "waste water", which we are now euphemistically seeking to retitle "reclaimed water", increasing our use of it from the current 6 per cent to about 20 per cent by 2013. That is a significant target in itself and presages significant investment of money in infrastructure to be able to attain an increase of that order in the reuse of water that we reclaim.

We have some issues to address in relation to the quality of that water. The quality of our reclaimed water, through the lower Molonglo water treatment plant, is equal to the highest in the nation. Nevertheless, there remain health issues for us to focus on in relation to some incidents of reusing water-for instance, on ovals where people play sport and may be injured or suffer cuts.

In the context of the strategy and things that we can, will and must do to reach those two targets of reducing the use of potable water and increasing the use of reclaimed water,

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