Mr. Kelly questions the Minister for Water about alleged cuts to the Water Corporation's capital works budget and their impact on burst mains. The Minister denies cuts, stating that previous high investment levels were unsustainable and that asset renewal and maintenance budgets have increased.

AnsweredQoN 27Legislative Assembly
Asked
17 February 2016
Portfolio
Water

QuestionView source ↗

WATER — BURST MAINS PIPES
27. Mr D.J. KELLY to the Minister for
Water:
I have a supplementary question.
Will the minister confirm that she has in fact cut the capital works budget for
the Water Corporation, and is she saying that people will just have to learn to
live with this level of disruption?

AnswerView source ↗

We have been over this so many times
in this house. We had an inordinate —
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : I am answering the question, member!
Mr
D.J. Kelly : Just answer it.
Ms
M.J. DAVIES : An inordinate amount of investment went into our capital works
programs. We were rebuilding the Pilbara. We were making investments where
there had never previously been any investment. We had an investment in desalination
plants. We have hit go on groundwater replenishment. There were a number of
scheme adjustments and enhancements throughout the great southern and south
west. A whole raft of projects was being run in the Perth metropolitan area. We
have not continued to invest at that level because those investments have been
made. For the capital works program, we have come back from an all-time high—yes.
The member is talking about breaks and leaks, and that relates to asset
renewals and maintenance. We have increased our asset renewals budget and we
have increased our maintenance budget.

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