❓ Mr. Redman questions the Minister for Water about the Denmark water supply, specifically regarding communication and water restrictions. The Minister defends the government's actions, highlighting past inaction and the impact of climate change.
AnsweredQoN 768Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER CORPORATION —
DENMARK WATER SUPPLY
768. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Water:
I refer to the minister's
recent announcement that the Water Corporation will spend up to $7 million on
trucking water into the Denmark community this summer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I ask —
(1) Why did the minister not communicate the issue of
water supply security to the Denmark community earlier?
(2) Why were stage 5 water restrictions not put in
place over the last two summers, as the previous government did in the
2014–15 summer, to conserve supplies?
DENMARK WATER SUPPLY
768. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Water:
I refer to the minister's
recent announcement that the Water Corporation will spend up to $7 million on
trucking water into the Denmark community this summer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I ask —
(1) Why did the minister not communicate the issue of
water supply security to the Denmark community earlier?
(2) Why were stage 5 water restrictions not put in
place over the last two summers, as the previous government did in the
2014–15 summer, to conserve supplies?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
am a little bit perplexed by the first part of the member's question.
The first part, as I understand it, was why did we not talk to the Denmark
community about these water security issues sooner. I have seen reports of the
member in 2008, when the previous Labor government made decisions around this,
saying, ''Why hasn't the Labor government acted on this earlier?
Everybody's known about the drying climate.'' That was 2008. The
member jumps up now, when we have made an announcement to spend $30 million on a pipeline from Albany to secure the water
supply of Denmark, to ask why we did not talk about it earlier.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr D.J. KELLY : This has been
talked about for at least a decade. In the member's own comments in the
media in 2008, even he recognised that there was an issue with climate change
and the water supply in Denmark.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you will use up your supplementary the way you are
going.
Mr
D.J. KELLY : Everybody knows—everybody
should know—that the south west of Western Australia is one of
the places on the planet most impacted upon by climate change through a decline
in rainfall. Everybody knows that. The only person I think who is in denial
about that issue is the federal minister—what is his name?—David
Littleproud, who was quoted last week as saying he did not know whether climate
change was man made. The National Party is sadly lacking on climate change. He
is the federal Minister for Water Resources; Drought. The federal minister has
said that he does not really know whether climate change is real.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, why don't you listen to the answer?
Mr D.J. KELLY : The advice
that we get from the Water Corporation is that the two dams that provided
Denmark with their water supply cannot now be relied on because of the decline
in rainfall. Denmark has had three of its worst years on record, as far as
stream run-off, since 2014. This year is lining up to be the fourth worst year
on record. We have made a decision to secure the water supply in Denmark. We
are going to build a pipeline from Albany at a cost of $30 million. It will
take 18 months to two years to do it. In the meantime, we are going to cart
water from Albany. The member is complaining about it.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I have warned you three times. If you keep this up,
you will not get a supplementary, because you have asked three questions
already.
Mr D.J. KELLY : In 2008, the
member was saying, ''Why hasn't the Labor government done
something about this? Climate change is impacting the water supply.''
That was 10 years ago. He then got into government, and he did not fix it. Do
members know what the member for Warren–Blackwood did when he was the
water minister? Instead of building a pipeline from Albany and bringing the
water to Denmark, he spent $12 million on building a pipeline between the two Denmark dams, both of which rely on rainwater.
In 2015, the former government spent $12 million building a pipeline
between the two dams, both of which rely on rainwater, and, lo and behold, four
years later, it had not worked. We have had three of the driest years on record
since 2014. In 2015, had it recognised that climate change was real and
committed to building a pipeline from Albany, we would have saved $12 million. Instead,
it wasted $12 million building a pipeline that would rely on rainwater. The
member for Warren–Blackwood should thank the Labor government for
securing the water supply for his town, Denmark, rather than asking silly
questions.
am a little bit perplexed by the first part of the member's question.
The first part, as I understand it, was why did we not talk to the Denmark
community about these water security issues sooner. I have seen reports of the
member in 2008, when the previous Labor government made decisions around this,
saying, ''Why hasn't the Labor government acted on this earlier?
Everybody's known about the drying climate.'' That was 2008. The
member jumps up now, when we have made an announcement to spend $30 million on a pipeline from Albany to secure the water
supply of Denmark, to ask why we did not talk about it earlier.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr D.J. KELLY : This has been
talked about for at least a decade. In the member's own comments in the
media in 2008, even he recognised that there was an issue with climate change
and the water supply in Denmark.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you will use up your supplementary the way you are
going.
Mr
D.J. KELLY : Everybody knows—everybody
should know—that the south west of Western Australia is one of
the places on the planet most impacted upon by climate change through a decline
in rainfall. Everybody knows that. The only person I think who is in denial
about that issue is the federal minister—what is his name?—David
Littleproud, who was quoted last week as saying he did not know whether climate
change was man made. The National Party is sadly lacking on climate change. He
is the federal Minister for Water Resources; Drought. The federal minister has
said that he does not really know whether climate change is real.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, why don't you listen to the answer?
Mr D.J. KELLY : The advice
that we get from the Water Corporation is that the two dams that provided
Denmark with their water supply cannot now be relied on because of the decline
in rainfall. Denmark has had three of its worst years on record, as far as
stream run-off, since 2014. This year is lining up to be the fourth worst year
on record. We have made a decision to secure the water supply in Denmark. We
are going to build a pipeline from Albany at a cost of $30 million. It will
take 18 months to two years to do it. In the meantime, we are going to cart
water from Albany. The member is complaining about it.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I have warned you three times. If you keep this up,
you will not get a supplementary, because you have asked three questions
already.
Mr D.J. KELLY : In 2008, the
member was saying, ''Why hasn't the Labor government done
something about this? Climate change is impacting the water supply.''
That was 10 years ago. He then got into government, and he did not fix it. Do
members know what the member for Warren–Blackwood did when he was the
water minister? Instead of building a pipeline from Albany and bringing the
water to Denmark, he spent $12 million on building a pipeline between the two Denmark dams, both of which rely on rainwater.
In 2015, the former government spent $12 million building a pipeline
between the two dams, both of which rely on rainwater, and, lo and behold, four
years later, it had not worked. We have had three of the driest years on record
since 2014. In 2015, had it recognised that climate change was real and
committed to building a pipeline from Albany, we would have saved $12 million. Instead,
it wasted $12 million building a pipeline that would rely on rainwater. The
member for Warren–Blackwood should thank the Labor government for
securing the water supply for his town, Denmark, rather than asking silly
questions.
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