❓ Question regarding the opposition's water policies, particularly concerning proposals to draw water from the Kimberley region and their stance on desalination. The Minister criticizes the opposition's lack of a coherent water policy and defends the government's approach.
AnsweredQoN 91Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER POLICIES
Does the minister have any new information on the opposition’s policies on water? The last time I heard anything, it was going to dam the Fitzroy River, call it Martin Dam and call the lake behind it Lake Carol, which I am not happy with. During the election it was saying — Point of Order Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is clearly not a question. If the member for Kimberley wants to speak about the Kimberley for once, we would like to hear it. The SPEAKER : It is difficult for me to respond to that point of order as we have already had one point of order requesting that people not read out statements and answers. No doubt the member for Kimberley is getting to her question. It is inappropriate to have a preamble to questions. I direct that the member ask the question. Questions without Notice Resumed Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Is the minister aware of any serious attempt by the opposition to look at policies on water, apart from Kimberley water? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
Does the minister have any new information on the opposition’s policies on water? The last time I heard anything, it was going to dam the Fitzroy River, call it Martin Dam and call the lake behind it Lake Carol, which I am not happy with. During the election it was saying — Point of Order Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is clearly not a question. If the member for Kimberley wants to speak about the Kimberley for once, we would like to hear it. The SPEAKER : It is difficult for me to respond to that point of order as we have already had one point of order requesting that people not read out statements and answers. No doubt the member for Kimberley is getting to her question. It is inappropriate to have a preamble to questions. I direct that the member ask the question. Questions without Notice Resumed Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Is the minister aware of any serious attempt by the opposition to look at policies on water, apart from Kimberley water? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
The SPEAKER : It is difficult for me to respond to that point of order as we have already had one point of order requesting that people not read out statements and answers. No doubt the member for Kimberley is getting to her question. It is inappropriate to have a preamble to questions. I direct that the member ask the question. Questions without Notice Resumed Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Is the minister aware of any serious attempt by the opposition to look at policies on water, apart from Kimberley water? Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
The SPEAKER : It is difficult for me to respond to that point of order as we have already had one point of order requesting that people not read out statements and answers. No doubt the member for Kimberley is getting to her question. It is inappropriate to have a preamble to questions. I direct that the member ask the question. Questions without Notice Resumed Mrs C.A. MARTIN : Is the minister aware of any serious attempt by the opposition to look at policies on water, apart from Kimberley water? Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
I thank the member for her question and her very strong advocacy for water in the Kimberley being put to good use in the Kimberley, rather than being the subject of one of these pie-in-the-sky ideas for bringing it south. While the Leader of the Opposition indicated in question time recently that the opposition had had a policy of bringing water from the Kimberley via a canal, he was not sure what its policy was now. More recently, in the last day or two, the member for Murray entered into the water debate by indicating that he does not have a lot of confidence in desalination. He made a number of comments yesterday on 6PR, putting down the benefit of desalinated water. He also indicated that he opposed taking water from the south west Yarragadee, as many did. Today he said that he opposes water being taken from Logue Brook Dam and that the water should come from the Kimberley: “We will not use desalination, we will not use further groundwater and we will not use what is available in smaller dams such as Logue Brook. We will simply wait until some time way into the future when we can invest billions of dollars in a very high-cost option that will cause huge damage to Western Australia environmentally”. By now people should know that not only is it more expensive to bring water from the north but it also takes more energy to pump water through a pipe from the Kimberley down to Perth than it takes to run a desalination plant. We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
We are left in a situation in which hard decisions have to be taken. This government is taking those decisions on the availability of water to ensure that we can give the greatest security possible to people not only in Perth but also in the greater scheme area and the areas of Kalgoorlie and Norseman. Those decisions are not always easy. The commitment of huge amounts of money precludes other things happening. Therefore, we have had to find that money to put in place the infrastructure that the Liberals in government were not willing to do. It is not just a matter of planning, building and committing the funds; the Liberal opposition cannot put together a decent policy position to give us any idea where it would find water to meet the growing needs of this state. Clearly, we not only have a drying climate but also our economy is growing at such a pace that we need to meet those growing demands of water. This government has been seen around Australia as doing something and doing it well. That is in stark contrast to the Liberals opposite, who simply cannot get their act together and realise that bringing water to Perth via a canal from the Kimberley is an absolute nonsense. When we put together sound, realistic proposals, the Liberals want to criticise them, whatever the option. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition and the members for Murray, Cottesloe, Roe and Warren-Blackwood to order.
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