❓ The Minister for Water defends the end of the showerhead swap program, highlighting its success and outlining other water efficiency initiatives. The program ended as planned after two years, achieving significant water savings.
AnsweredQoN 101Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER — EFFICIENCY MEASURES
101. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for Water:
I am aware that the opposition spokesperson for water made
some ill-informed comments last week about the successful showerhead swap program
coming to an end. Can the minister please explain why this program has ended,
and update the house on the success of the government's other water
efficiency measures?
101. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for Water:
I am aware that the opposition spokesperson for water made
some ill-informed comments last week about the successful showerhead swap program
coming to an end. Can the minister please explain why this program has ended,
and update the house on the success of the government's other water
efficiency measures?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield.
I know that he is a very strong advocate for water use efficiency in his
electorate, as he should be.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : We have had a lot of levity about showerheads; can we get back to
the question?
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : I have little doubt that he, as a very effective backbencher,
will keep pressure on this government to ensure that we maintain that level of
water use efficiency.
The government has embarked on a
showerhead replacement program to replace the old inefficient showerheads with
far more efficient ones. In fact, 120 000 of them were rolled out. That program
was always destined to be a two-year program, finishing up in April this year.
We put up 74 000 showerhead replacements, and at one point it actually ran out
early and we added a further 50 000. So, because of the effectiveness of the
program, this government made a decision during that period to add a further 50
000 showerhead replacements. Collectively, that adds savings of some 870 million
litres per year. The member for Bassendean came straight out and said two
things: firstly, he said this is cost cutting by the government and asked why
we were stopping; and he also said that we had just had the hottest April in
Western Australia's history and asked why we were doing this. I think
that shows the ignorance of the opposition on building efficiencies into the
community in respect of water use. If we have a program and targets, once we
deliver on that program and those targets, we move on and look for other
efficiencies that we can put in the program. We have done exactly that. In fact,
there have been a number of those, and as I highlighted in some of the media
prompted by the member for Bassendean, through the H 2 O Assist
program, as advertised in The West
Australian , people can go and get —
Mr
P.B. Watson : You stuffed up the prisons department, and now you —
The SPEAKER : Member for Albany,
I call you for the first time—and please watch your language in this
chamber.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The Water Corporation has been able to secure some very cost-effective deals
through which consumers can go and get a number of replacement items for their
houses to build the next layer of water use efficiency and save on their
household costs. Over the last four years, the government has seen the level of
water use reduced by eight per cent. That is a significant saving to the
householder and very significant to the challenge of supplying water to
consumers in a very dry state.
I want to have a very quick look at
the water use efficiency programs we have put in place. We have had the
integrated regional water efficiency program, which saves four billion litres
of water a year; the Target 60 program, which saves 60 litres per person, per
day; the water efficiency management plan, which saved 10 billion litres over
three years; the Waterwise council program, supported by 45 councils, saving 11
billion litres —
The SPEAKER : The
members for West Swan and Bassendean are having a private conversation.
Minister, can you wind up this answer, please.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
There are numerous examples I could go through, but in the interests of
expediency I will not go into them. I will say that the Water Corporation
achieved an international award in 2012 for the measures that it has put in
place. I thank the member for Forrestfield for his advocacy for these sorts of
programs, and I am sure that this government will continue driving water use
efficiencies within our community.
I know that he is a very strong advocate for water use efficiency in his
electorate, as he should be.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : We have had a lot of levity about showerheads; can we get back to
the question?
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : I have little doubt that he, as a very effective backbencher,
will keep pressure on this government to ensure that we maintain that level of
water use efficiency.
The government has embarked on a
showerhead replacement program to replace the old inefficient showerheads with
far more efficient ones. In fact, 120 000 of them were rolled out. That program
was always destined to be a two-year program, finishing up in April this year.
We put up 74 000 showerhead replacements, and at one point it actually ran out
early and we added a further 50 000. So, because of the effectiveness of the
program, this government made a decision during that period to add a further 50
000 showerhead replacements. Collectively, that adds savings of some 870 million
litres per year. The member for Bassendean came straight out and said two
things: firstly, he said this is cost cutting by the government and asked why
we were stopping; and he also said that we had just had the hottest April in
Western Australia's history and asked why we were doing this. I think
that shows the ignorance of the opposition on building efficiencies into the
community in respect of water use. If we have a program and targets, once we
deliver on that program and those targets, we move on and look for other
efficiencies that we can put in the program. We have done exactly that. In fact,
there have been a number of those, and as I highlighted in some of the media
prompted by the member for Bassendean, through the H 2 O Assist
program, as advertised in The West
Australian , people can go and get —
Mr
P.B. Watson : You stuffed up the prisons department, and now you —
The SPEAKER : Member for Albany,
I call you for the first time—and please watch your language in this
chamber.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The Water Corporation has been able to secure some very cost-effective deals
through which consumers can go and get a number of replacement items for their
houses to build the next layer of water use efficiency and save on their
household costs. Over the last four years, the government has seen the level of
water use reduced by eight per cent. That is a significant saving to the
householder and very significant to the challenge of supplying water to
consumers in a very dry state.
I want to have a very quick look at
the water use efficiency programs we have put in place. We have had the
integrated regional water efficiency program, which saves four billion litres
of water a year; the Target 60 program, which saves 60 litres per person, per
day; the water efficiency management plan, which saved 10 billion litres over
three years; the Waterwise council program, supported by 45 councils, saving 11
billion litres —
The SPEAKER : The
members for West Swan and Bassendean are having a private conversation.
Minister, can you wind up this answer, please.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
There are numerous examples I could go through, but in the interests of
expediency I will not go into them. I will say that the Water Corporation
achieved an international award in 2012 for the measures that it has put in
place. I thank the member for Forrestfield for his advocacy for these sorts of
programs, and I am sure that this government will continue driving water use
efficiencies within our community.
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