Page 2438 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 August 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
water. Compared to the WaterWise scheme adopted in Queanbeyan the only rebates we have in Canberra are for water saving, and they are only small and partial rebates. Only now are we starting to see some action being taken in relation to the use of grey water and water from stormwater drains.
It has taken this government a long time to do that, especially on its playing fields. In fact, it ignored the advice of experts in 2003 on how to water its ovals when we were at level 3 water restrictions. This government ignored advice about grasses that needed only 20 per cent or 30 per cent of water. Only now is it starting to heed that advice but we are yet to see any of those new grasses being put in. I think the government is piloting a few grasses at Watson.
This government is a bit behind the eight ball in watering these ovals and in adopting sensible conservation measures. It will have some real problems in maintaining these assets if the drought does not break. What concerns me is the number of groups that will be affected. Clearly, I think you can do a lot more, for example, by using stormwater drains. You need to do a lot more. You need to look at utilising the lower Molonglo treatment works to get water to these ovals and essentially to those parts of our supposedly beautiful bush capital that are going to rack and ruin. That would not have happened if you had adopted correct policies for these crucial community assets, a matter of considerable concern.
As I said earlier, I will not attempt to wander into Actew areas, but I suggest that the government should utilise things such as the lower Molonglo treatment works and use much more grey water. In fact, in the 1990s we pioneered the use of a fair bit of treated sewage on ovals. The project in Banks, at the bottom of Tuggeranong Valley in your area, Mr Hargreaves, is no longer operational and only parts of the fields in north Canberra are utilised. You must do a hell of a lot more there very quickly.
Whilst I am on sport and recreation, ovals are very much part of that. I will not labour the point because other members and I have made it in the past few days, but it is appalling and it is false economy to cut sport and recreation grants from about $2.4 million or $2.5 million down to about $1.9 million. That has had a huge impact on many mass participation community organisations, which clearly is very false economy.
For the sake of saving supposedly $500,000 you will reap real problems in the future in the health area through a lack of participation in sport. You would achieve a great deal more by spending a buck—something that is not being done in the TAMS budget. I will leave it to my colleagues to talk in detail about things such as ActewAGL, urban services and the look of the city. Mr Pratt has some interesting information for you.
Quite clearly, that is an issue of real concern. We get more complaints about that issue than we do about anything else. People who have lived here for ages and, more worryingly, people who come back after a 10-year absence, say that the city looks tacky and tired. It does not cost a lot of money to fix it up; it just takes a bit of willpower and things like graffiti squads to take graffiti off buildings and fences within 24 hours of it being put there. It does not take a huge amount to ensure that the grass is mowed and that the potholes are filled in.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .