Page 4787 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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One of the great things about Canberra and Australia is that families can have that expectation, and they should have that expectation. That is something that has been denied them over the last few years because of the drought—and also over the last couple of years, I think it is fair to say, because of the slow response of this government. As Canberrans, we are very pleased today that water restrictions will now be lifted. Mrs Dunne has appropriately put it out there that it needs to be said that we are not going to advocate returning to the ways of previous years.
We have a great deal of confidence in Canberrans. There is a role for government to play in leading the debate. We have a great deal of confidence that Canberrans will use water more sensibly than might have been the case 10 or 15 years ago when we became complacent about water use. It is fair to say that many of the water use practices were not appropriate. But, at the same time, reasonable water usage—watering one’s lawn, watering one’s garden in dry times, in hot times, and being able to keep that garden, those trees and that grass alive—is a fantastic thing.
I think we should take a moment to be grateful for the fact that we have finally put this behind us. I think that it will take leadership and ongoing work to ensure that we continue to use water wisely so that the next time there is a dry spell—and the next drought will come; it may come next year or it may come in five, 10 or 15 years time, but we hope it is a long way away—hopefully we will have learnt the lessons from this one.
Yes, we will have more water storage, and that is a good thing, but we also need to learn the lesson that in using water more efficiently we do not see the sudden downturns in our water storages that we saw in this dry spell. No-one would have anticipated the low inflows a few years ago. We may get them again. We hope that will be a once in 50 years or a once in a hundred years event. We hope that it will not happen but, if it does, the role now for government, very importantly, is to ensure that we continue to work on water efficiency measures and continue to encourage sensible water use.
At the same time, people need to have some confidence going forward that they can invest in their gardens and in these things which actually bring them pleasure. It is worth reflecting on some of the benefits of gardening to many Canberrans. I think we forget just how important it is to tens of thousands of people in our city tending their garden. It is a range of people right across the community. It is young and old. Many, of course, are our retirees. That is one of their great hobbies or great passions and one of the things they spend a lot of time on.
We know there are a lot of benefits of that. It is an enjoyable form of exercise. It increases levels of physical activity, particularly for the elderly, and maintains mobility and flexibility. For the elderly it encourages the use of motor skills. It improves endurance and strength. It helps prevent diseases like osteoporosis and it reduces stress levels and promotes relaxation. For our young families it is part of our lifestyle and it is a part of our lifestyle that I believe we should protect.
As we rightly move to a regime where Canberrans can again enjoy their gardens and can again use water in their gardens and in their backyards, the challenge for us now
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