Greenwash Political Action Party and Urban Grassroots Movement for the Green Party

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Why Sydney is ahead of its politicians on desalinisation

Thirty three boxes of Government files on the desalination plant were recently made public.

The files were reluctantly released in response to an Upper House motion from Greens MLC Ian Cohen requiring the NSW Government to provide a series of documents on the project.

They clearly show that the desalination plant is a greenhouse disaster.

With Australia already the world’s worst per capita greenhouse emitter, it has been estimated that the Kurnell plant will add as much pollution to our atmosphere as 250 000 more cars on the road. As Premier Bob Carr put it so neatly - desalinated water is really just bottled electricity.

What the documents don’t reveal is why the former Carr - and now Iemma - Government are pursuing the increasingly unpopular desalination option. In fact unpublished community surveys buried in the 38 boxes show that the people of Sydney want to do more to conserve water. In fact a clear majority want tougher water restrictions.

In the face of growing media pressure, Energy and Utilities Minister Carl Scully asserted that people ‘are not fussed’ where there water and electricity come from so long as it came out of the taps and sockets.

But such cynicism about the public’s attitudes is contradicted by several surveys results contained in the documents released this week

Key findings in previously secret documents show:
• 93% of people support very strong water restrictions during drought
• 92% support water restrictions every summer
• 74% support water restrictions all the time
• 90% support only water efficient appliances being able to be sold.

Water restrictions that have been in place for the last few years have already saved twice the amount of water than the desalination plant will produce.

Further research uncovered in the documents shows people are also willing to do more in the home, with between 80-95% of people willing to:
• limit time in the shower
• use water efficient showerheads
• have dual flush toilets
• always use washing machines and dishwashers with a full load
• fix leaking taps.

Sydneysiders are way ahead of the government.

But instead of embracing these community attitudes and work with the people of Sydney, NSW Labor seems determined to work against them.

Further action requires community engagement – and that requires trust between the government and people. But instead of facilitating community action, the Government seems determined to impose the unpopular, polluting option that is increasingly alienating the electorate.

In April 2003 Bob Carr established the Expert Water Panel to provide advice on achieving a sustainable water balance for Sydney’s future. In the documents obtained this week the Expert Water Panel’s draft report was uncovered.

Recommendation 18 could not be clearer.

“The Panel recommends that the Government not consider the following new infrastructure at present:
• constructing new dams
• constructing new desalination plants
• installing cloud seeding equipment

The options identified in this Report have the capacity to defer the need for such new infrastructure indefinitely if properly implemented. Optimising the use of existing infrastructure is more cost effective and environmentally sustainable.”

On top of this the scandal of how much money the Government is spending on advertising the desal plant has yet to receive attention. I have already heard radio ads and then there was the ridiculous spectacle of mock wine tasting scheme with desalinated water trucked in from Perth.

Ben Oquist

posted by Ben Oquist # 7:57 AM 1 comments