Page 4783 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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target of 25 per cent by 2023. It is pleasing to note that we are within one per cent of our target on meeting this saving, and the revised scheme is expected to ensure we meet or exceed that target. As required under the Utilities (Water Conservation) Regulation, the Environment Protection Authority has been consulted on the change to the new water conservation measures scheme, and in terms of environmental outcomes it supports the proposed changes. I will be taking those issues into account as I make a decision on the new determination.
For our community, a clear implication of the easing of water restrictions will mean that the onus of responsible water use will transfer to the community rather than being determined by a mandated policy that is applied under the temporary restrictions regime. The government’s position remains that the mandated outcomes should only be imposed once in 20 years on average. So that is the guiding principle the government has established—restrictions one year in every 20. That is the principle that we have outlined for making decisions about water security projects moving forward.
The government is very pleased that the community has responded so strongly to the water restrictions regime. I appreciate that there are some in the community who now believe that we should retain restrictions even though our storages are at such a strong level. The government’s view is this: water restrictions are, by their very nature, temporary. They are not meant to be a permanent change in the way we use water. The permanent change is to use water wisely. Whilst restrictions may be needed from time to time when we are facing shortages in supply, permanent water conservation measures, using water wisely, is a permanent and ongoing approach that all Canberrans need to adopt, and that is the big difference.
Permanent water conservation measures are just that—they are permanent. Temporary restrictions are just that—they are temporary to respond to particular circumstances where, because of changes in rainfall, we see shortages in supply and significant pressure on our water catchments. That is the approach that we adopt.
I think there are real questions to be raised if we were to retain water restrictions even in this period of relatively healthy catchments. What would it mean for the ongoing ability and the willingness of large sectors of the community to comply with a restrictions regime? If we continued to insist on a level of restrictions at a time when catchments were healthy and water supply was strong, I think there would be a growing level of non-compliance. We really need Canberrans to respond to restrictions at times when they are needed. We should not squander that goodwill and that willingness of people to abide by restrictions by imposing restrictions on them even at times when the water supply is in a strong condition.
That is an important consideration for the government because, at the end of the day, compliance is driven by the voluntary actions of hundreds of thousands of Canberrans. It is very difficult for the government and the water utility to enforce compliance, although we do have measures to do that to the extent that it is practicable. But, at the end of the day, restrictions are very much based on the compact between the government, the utility and the broader community and in circumstances where it is justified, and it is difficult to justify restrictions where your water catchments are at
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