Page 4475 - Week 10 - Thursday, 23 September 2010
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decision when it comes to increasing restrictions as we return to drier forecasts. Canberrans need not be afraid of increased restrictions; we are more than capable of handling them.
Right now, it may be that, rather than just lowering the restrictions, we need to think about how we can, as a community, maximise this plentiful rainfall season. We will more than likely see after this season a return to drier conditions for another extended period. So what are we doing now to maximise the opportunity that we have here? Are we taking the opportunity to build resilience in our urban landscape by undertaking a large amount of new planting—planting that will have a better chance of survival than usual because of moist soil and fewer requirements for hand watering? It is important that we do maximise these cyclical opportunities not just so that we can wash our cars at home or clean our windows, but so that we can ensure our city is better protected against the hot, dry periods that we have come to expect.
It is also a good time to think about reviewing our water restrictions and bringing them into line with community expectations, particularly as community expectations have probably shifted after six or seven years of living with water restrictions. The Greens have advocated in the past that we should move to a model of permanent water restrictions. With the government’s review of the think water, act water strategy, perhaps this year is the time to do it.
Currently we have a schedule of permanent water conservation measures that clearly does not meet the community standard for water conservation and is unlikely to be applicable in any future water scenario for that ACT. For example, do we really imagine a situation in which the Canberra community thinks it is acceptable for people to be able to water their gardens at any time during the day when common sense tells us that it really should de done in the cooler parts of the day? Should we condone the washing of windows using lots of water? These are the sorts of questions we need to be asking the community.
Are there other issues that we might need to consider integrating into water restrictions as we move forward? For example, it has been suggested that those who grow their own vegetables or engage in permaculture are unfairly affected by water restriction measures. While some might support converting our lawns to native gardens, rockeries and cacti, many others want to grow their own food in their backyards. This is an activity that is actually very environmentally friendly and it has very good benefits not only for those who grow their vegetables but also for the city.
Imagine the difference between a city that paves over back gardens and puts in rockeries versus a city that effectively uses its green spaces. This is not just about food; it can also be about providing urban cooling and building urban resilience in a future where we are likely to have more people living in less space. That really is about ensuring that we keep our green spaces around our city.
So these are the sorts of issues we really do need to start talking about when, during this time, we have a little breathing space to be able to think about it. We need to take a whole range of issues into account, and the sooner we start to plan ahead for these sorts of challenges, the better.
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