Household water consumption - Western Australia's performance
2345. 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 total residential water supplied for Western Australia was 177 768 megalitres. In 2008-09 the total was 196 006 ML, an increase in gross supply of 18.2 gigalitres. Over the same period all other jurisdictions reduced their total supply by 9.8 percent, or 127 gigalitres, and I ask —
(1) Why have other jurisdictions been able to respond to climate change and reduce total residential water supplied by 9.8 percent, when Western Australia in that same time increased water supply by 10.2 percent?
(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.
The reason why the volume of water supplied to residential customers in Western Australia between 2005-06 and 2008-09 did not reduce by similar margins when compared to other jurisdictions is that the Water Corporation commenced demand management programs many years before other states.
Additionally, the population of Western Australia grew by 5.9 per cent during this period, compared to a growth of 3.7 per cent in Australia generally. The total residential water supplied to Western Australia in 2000-2001, which is when the Water Corporation significantly increased its efforts in water efficiency, was 229 gigalitres; in 2008-2009 it was 196 gigalitres. This is a reduction of 14 per cent by the people of Western Australia over a time when the population increased from 1.9 million to 2.2 million (an increase of 16 per cent).
(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 light of climate change.
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.
The Water Corporation has set further water reduction targets to reduce per capita consumption (from 2008 levels) by 15 per cent in 2030 and 25 per cent by 2060.