In Parliament on Wednesday 8th April 2009 I spoke about managing the South Australian water crisis. The main points of my speech were:

• We need to have a pricing system that relates much more to how the individual, household or business consumes water rather than having a relatively flat rate for the consumption of water.

• If I had my way, I would also reduce or eliminate the supply charge. I realise that the Productivity Commission nationally has recommended maintenance of a supply charge, but I still believe that, given the water crisis in South Australia, it would be better for us to have something much more aligned to a user-pays system in relation to water. It can be argued that the supply charge is there for capital purposes, but one can also consider that, for South Australia’s existing residential households, the capacity has well and truly already been established; and so that supply charge, in a sense, is there to bolster SA Water’s numbers from which the government receives a dividend.

• The problem with the current approach of water restrictions is that they apply only to the gardens. Although water use on residential gardens is a substantial part of our total water use, the water we use inside—in the laundry, in the bathroom, toilet and the kitchen—is very substantial.

• Those who use twice as much as the average household should pay about twice as much and those who use about half as much as the average household should pay about half as much. Of course, into any such system one would need to build in a system of rebates or discounts for concession holders, whether they be pensioners, unemployed people, etc., and also for dependents.

• A change to water pricing needs to be driven from the government—top down—to make sure that every one within SA Water is working on conserving water, not just on reducing demand but also establishing wetlands. I still believe that the Water Proofing Adelaide report, which came out a few years ago, is an excellent blueprint for us to proceed with.

• I read out a list of potential wetland sites and some of the estimates that have been provided in relation to how much water could be retained and reused. Even if this water is re-used only for outdoor purposes, it is an astonishing proportion of Adelaide’s total current use. In fact, it adds up to about a third of the current total.

• There are other things that the government could be doing better. In relation to rebates, I think there is scope for increased rebates, but also applying the rebates in a smarter way; for example, I think there should be rebates for stand-alone rainwater tanks.

• Although the government has taken action in some respects to address the water problem, indeed, drastic steps in terms of the desalination plant expenditure and the proposal to cut off the River Murray at Wellington, there is a lot more that we could be doing on the Adelaide Plains. The result could be a relaxing of water restrictions, and I know that that is what the community wants.