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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Thursday, 11 March 2004) . . Page.. 1214 ..

a limited time period and/or the use of water efficient equipment where possible. The efficient use of water is a common condition to ensure that water is not misused.

In many cases, an exemption is approved to allow a variation in times and/or days from that specified in the water restrictions scheme. Hence, no additional water would be used, as there is no increase in time available.

Typical exemptions include:

• under an industry agreement with lawn and garden maintenance businesses, customers may be granted an exemption to use sprinklers to water in chemicals and fertilisers for a 3-hour period, ie. between 7am-10am or 7pm-10pm. This type of exemption protects business to some degree and assists in continued employment for operators in the industry; and

• exemptions for health, disability etc., to allow sprinkler use are normally for one day per week only. The use of the hand held hose is not allowed in these situations, as the reason for the sprinkler use is that the householder cannot stand outside to hand water. In effect, the householder’s potential outdoor use is reduced from 6 hours every second day to one day only.

There are a variety of the types of exemptions (for example, there were 2131 exemptions approved for lawn treatments during Stage 3). The provision of exemptions was a delicate balancing act – conservation, minimising impact on businesses and customer health/disability. These factors were considered at all times.

From ACTEW’s point of view, the key thing is that the community had to meet the summer average daily consumption target of 167 Megalitres per day (164ML/day). Despite all the exemptions ACTEW gave, the community actually achieved slightly below the average daily target of 164ML/day. So, allowing exemptions in the way ACTEW did is therefore demonstrably in accord with the requirements of water restrictions.

Residential aged care
(Question No 1298)

Mr Cornwell asked the Minister for Health, upon notice:

(1) Further to your response to Question on notice No 4 in relation to facilities for the aged by region, how many public housing aged person units exist in (a) Belconnen, (b) City, (c) Gungahlin, (d) Tuggeranong, (e) Weston Creek and (f) Woden;

(2) What is the (a) waiting list number and (b) expected wait for such accommodation in each of the suburbs listed at (1) above;

(3) How many residential aged care facility beds are currently operational in the A.C.T. in the categories of (a) high care, (b) low care and (c) respite care;

(4) As at the end of February 2004, how many people were on the nursing home waiting list held by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) in each of the categories of (a) Calvary Hospital, (b) The Canberra Hospital, (c) private hospitals, (d) hospice and (e) community;

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