Busselton Water Board (Supply of Water to Dunsborough) Bill 2009

HON ALISON XAMON (East Metropolitan) [7.41 pm]: The Greens (WA) will support the Busselton Water Board (Supply of Water to Dunsborough) Bill 2009. We recognise that it is a necessary measure to deal with the increasing population in the south west. We also recognise that it is a cheaper alternative to the Water Corporation drilling even more bores in Dunsborough. As a stopgap measure for dealing with a shortage of water, it is an elegant solution. We are conscious of the fact that the pipeline route that will be required is yet to be determined. We are aware that the pipeline route will need to undergo an environmental impact assessment to take into account acid sulphate soils and biodiversity issues such as the habitat of the western ring-tailed possum.  We are quite sure that the Water Corporation will be aware of its obligations in this area, and we trust that this will not be too much of an issue. We are also aware that this project potentially puts increased pressure on the drawing of water from the south west Yarragadee aquifer, although the current allocation has not been used. We are hoping that this will not be the thin end of the wedge of further pressure being put on the Yarragadee aquifer. The passage of this bill has really highlighted the need for the water resources legislation to be brought forward. We are concerned to make sure that these sorts of measures will not be implemented in an ad hoc way while we are waiting for that long-term sustainable vision for our water future to be put forward. We have been waiting a while for the water resources legislation to be introduced, and it appears we will be waiting some more, and we do not want to see a proliferation of these sorts of measures. We are looking forward to seeing the long-term environmentally sustainable plan for our water future, particularly for the metropolitan area and the south west. We urge the government to prioritise this. As I stated at the outset, as an interim measure, the Greens are happy to support this bill.