Hopefully, the promised US$45m in Australian aid money for Palestine will see an improvement in the wretched daily lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Yet there is no hope of the Palestinian economy getting off its knees while a brutal occupation by the Israeli military continues. The big question remains whether the Australian Government will, consistent with this aid grant, pressure Israel to end its occupation of what’s left of Palestine.

Professor Mike Young from Adelaide University has proposed a water pricing system where the cost of water depends on where in South Australia you live. I agree with Professor Young that the supply charge should be scrapped and a pricing system introduced that rewards those who conserve water and charges extravagant users more. The government recently tinkered with pricing levels, but went nowhere near far enough. Inevitably, Professor Young’s suggestions will fall on deaf ears while the Rann Government continues to see SA Water as a revenue-raiser

When Parliament resumes in February I will call for a Parliamentary inquiry into how the Special Investigations Unit of the Department of Families & Communities handled child sex abuse allegations against public servant Tom Easling.

Mr Easling was cleared of sex abuse charges as a foster carer. However, serious questions were publicly raised as to how competently officers of the Department’s Special Investigations Unit handled the investigation. The seriousness of child sex abuse allegations, and the stigma that Mr Easling must carry for the rest of his life, make it critical that any investigation be conducted strictly in accordance with law and best practice. Parliament needs to examine how the Department of Families & Communities’ Special Investigations Unit got it so wrong.

Last week, the State Government increased water rates to pay for a proposed desalination unit in Adelaide. While I was pleased to see a third pricing tier introduced, it still fails to encourage the saving of water or the harvesting of stormwater. From July 1 next year the new rates are:
·        71c a kilolitre for households using less than 120 kilolitres a year (up from 50c per kilolitre);
·        $1.38/kL for between 120 and 520kL (up from $1.16); and
·        $1.65/kL for consumption that exceeds 520kL (a new third tier).
The average consumption per household in Adelaide is about 150 kilolitres, so many consumers will pay $1.38/kL for some of their water needs. That’s the same rate as households and businesses using up to 520kL! This second rate needs to be broken down into two or three further tiers, with the rate increasing substantially. Those using up to 520kL should be paying considerably more the average consumer.
I would also do away with the $160 annual supply charge. This would mean that families using below average consumption levels would pay less for their water.

The house fire that claimed the life of a Klemzig man with disabilities last week was tragically unnecessary. It is vital that Housing SA install hard-wired smoke alarms in all houses where tenants with disabilities reside. Earlier this year I wrote twice to the Minister for Housing following the death of a disabled man in a fire in a Housing Trust home in my area. On that occasion there was no battery in the smoke alarm. The reply was that Housing SA was installing hard-wired smoke alarms, but to aged tenants first. 

The death of the Klemzig man surely must force Housing SA to also give priority to tenants with disabilities.

It’s already that time of year again! Please join me for Christmas drinks and nibbles to celebrate the festive season.
Friday 7th December 2007
4.00-7.00pm at the Mitchell Electorate Office:
867 Marion Road, MITCHELL PARK, SA 5043
RSVP 8177 0077 or email mitchell@parliament.sa.gov.au
(by Wednesday 5th December)