Household water consumption - Geraldton
2342. Hon Alison Xamon to the Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Water
I refer to the recent publication by the National Water Commission, ‘National Performance Report 2008-2009: urban water utilities’. In 2005 — 06 the average consumption per household in Geraldton was 413 kilolitres. In 2008-09 the average was 397 kilolitres. Over the same period other major cities have reduced their consumption by on average, 23 per cent. Brisbane reduced household consumption by 48.4 percent, and I ask —
(1) Why has consumption for Geraldton’s households merely decreased by 3.8 percent while the Government is proceeding with expensive and polluting desalination plants, and extensions to groundwater extraction to increase Geraldton’s supply?
(2) What is the Government doing to strongly drive down per capita water consumption?
Hon HELEN MORTON replied:
(1) A key consideration is that the other States have all been subject to total sprinkler bans during this period, and in some cases, complete outside watering bans, which will artificially lower consumption on a temporary basis. These restrictions have now been relaxed in some cities and consumption is expected to increase. The Water Corporation has been able to manage the State's water supply without the need for such harsh restrictions.
There are no plans to develop desalination for town water supply in Geraldton.
(2) The two day per week sprinkler roster in Perth and the Southern area of Western Australia, and the alternate day roster in the rest of Western Australia, is now part of Western Australia's permanent Water Efficiency Measures, rather than a temporary restriction. These permanent measures are the strongest across Australia and receive greater than 90 per cent support from the Western Australian community.
In addition to the permanent Water Efficiency Measures, the Government has introduced a permanent winter sprinkler ban for the South West of the State. The Water Corporation is also set to implement its newly developed Metropolitan and Regional Water Efficiency Strategies, which have drawn on the lessons of a number of residential and non-residential behavioural change and retrofit trials and pilots over the last few years.