❓ Mr Price questions the Minister for Water on the benefits of the waterwise public housing project. The Minister outlines water savings, cost of living reductions for tenants, and the government's leadership in water conservation.
AnsweredQoN 655Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATERWISE PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT
655. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Water:
I refer to the $26 million
expansion of the McGowan Labor government's waterwise public housing
project. Can the minister outline to the house how this project will help save
water and reduce the cost of living for some of the most vulnerable members of
our community?
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Minister for Water, who does have permission to use a prop if he likes!
655. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Water:
I refer to the $26 million
expansion of the McGowan Labor government's waterwise public housing
project. Can the minister outline to the house how this project will help save
water and reduce the cost of living for some of the most vulnerable members of
our community?
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Minister for Water, who does have permission to use a prop if he likes!
AnswerView source ↗
Yes, that is right. We will get to
that in a minute, Madam Speaker. Do not spoil my surprise!
The SPEAKER : You have got
everyone's attention now, you see.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That is
right. Yes; you have raised their expectations!
I
thank the member for the question. This week is National Water Week and I was
very pleased, as part of National Water Week, to announce jointly with
the Minister for Housing a $26 million expansion of the waterwise public
housing project. Members are aware that for 20-odd years or more, we have been
encouraging home owners to be waterwise. We know that climate change is having
a significant impact on our rainfall, and that is making our water supply more
scarce and more expensive, so we have been encouraging households to do things
like put waterwise showerheads in their
bathrooms—I will get back to that in a minute—waterwise toilets
and all those sorts of things, so that we are not wasting precious
water.
When we came to government, it
concerned me to find that although we are making headway with new properties, a whole bunch of existing housing stock in Western
Australia is full of inefficient products. Although we encourage people
to build more efficient homes, we have this legacy issue and the state
government actually owns a lot of those
properties. We have 30 000 to 40 000 public housing properties. Many of them
are waterwise because they are new and have been updated, but there are
some legacy properties. Therefore, it is incumbent on us as a government to
lead in this area.
In 2019, we ran a pilot during
which we audited 1 000 public housing properties, and the results are really
quite outstanding. By putting water-efficient fixtures into those houses, the
tenants saved 27 per cent on their water bills, and as a result they saved
between $66 and $145 on their actual bills. Across that program, 142 million
litres of water were saved in those 1 000
properties. Having run the pilot, today we have expanded it. We are committing
to retrofitting 10 000 public houses with new fixtures just like this
one I am holding here. The response from tenants has been absolutely amazing. I
was talking to some of the plumbers today and the response from the tenants is
extraordinary. Getting new fixtures uplifts the whole house. We will save 4.4 billion
litres of water over the next five years of the program. It is absolutely
fantastic.
To channel the Prime Minister, it is not a lump of coal; it
is a waterwise showerhead. Do not be afraid of it! It will not hurt you.
Members opposite, it is a great way of fighting climate change because it
reduces not only your water bill, but also your power bill. Most people have a hot
shower, so they save water and they save on energy and they reduce emissions.
It
is worth noting that former President Donald Trump, in 2020, actually scrapped
the federal government's regulations on showerheads. It had been
regulating showerheads since 1992. Donald Trump complained that a waterwise showerhead did not give him enough water to wash
his hair—that is what he said! He effectively scrapped the waterwise regulations
relating to showerheads.
On this side of the house, we understand that it is important to be waterwise. We
understand that it is important for the
government not just to tell other people to do stuff, but to lead, and that is
why we are making this investment in our own properties. We understand
that everyone is a winner. The tenants pay lower water bills and their houses
look better and are better places to live; we save precious water, we reduce
energy use and emissions, and we assist in the battle against climate change.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Roe with the last question.
that in a minute, Madam Speaker. Do not spoil my surprise!
The SPEAKER : You have got
everyone's attention now, you see.
Mr D.J. KELLY : That is
right. Yes; you have raised their expectations!
I
thank the member for the question. This week is National Water Week and I was
very pleased, as part of National Water Week, to announce jointly with
the Minister for Housing a $26 million expansion of the waterwise public
housing project. Members are aware that for 20-odd years or more, we have been
encouraging home owners to be waterwise. We know that climate change is having
a significant impact on our rainfall, and that is making our water supply more
scarce and more expensive, so we have been encouraging households to do things
like put waterwise showerheads in their
bathrooms—I will get back to that in a minute—waterwise toilets
and all those sorts of things, so that we are not wasting precious
water.
When we came to government, it
concerned me to find that although we are making headway with new properties, a whole bunch of existing housing stock in Western
Australia is full of inefficient products. Although we encourage people
to build more efficient homes, we have this legacy issue and the state
government actually owns a lot of those
properties. We have 30 000 to 40 000 public housing properties. Many of them
are waterwise because they are new and have been updated, but there are
some legacy properties. Therefore, it is incumbent on us as a government to
lead in this area.
In 2019, we ran a pilot during
which we audited 1 000 public housing properties, and the results are really
quite outstanding. By putting water-efficient fixtures into those houses, the
tenants saved 27 per cent on their water bills, and as a result they saved
between $66 and $145 on their actual bills. Across that program, 142 million
litres of water were saved in those 1 000
properties. Having run the pilot, today we have expanded it. We are committing
to retrofitting 10 000 public houses with new fixtures just like this
one I am holding here. The response from tenants has been absolutely amazing. I
was talking to some of the plumbers today and the response from the tenants is
extraordinary. Getting new fixtures uplifts the whole house. We will save 4.4 billion
litres of water over the next five years of the program. It is absolutely
fantastic.
To channel the Prime Minister, it is not a lump of coal; it
is a waterwise showerhead. Do not be afraid of it! It will not hurt you.
Members opposite, it is a great way of fighting climate change because it
reduces not only your water bill, but also your power bill. Most people have a hot
shower, so they save water and they save on energy and they reduce emissions.
It
is worth noting that former President Donald Trump, in 2020, actually scrapped
the federal government's regulations on showerheads. It had been
regulating showerheads since 1992. Donald Trump complained that a waterwise showerhead did not give him enough water to wash
his hair—that is what he said! He effectively scrapped the waterwise regulations
relating to showerheads.
On this side of the house, we understand that it is important to be waterwise. We
understand that it is important for the
government not just to tell other people to do stuff, but to lead, and that is
why we are making this investment in our own properties. We understand
that everyone is a winner. The tenants pay lower water bills and their houses
look better and are better places to live; we save precious water, we reduce
energy use and emissions, and we assist in the battle against climate change.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Roe with the last question.
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