Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to raise issues of water quality and water treatment at Gunnamatta Beach in my electorate. Gunnamatta Beach is on the southern edge of the Mornington Peninsula. It is the discharge zone for approximately 150 billion litres of secondary treated sewage every year. The single use of water—that is, collecting sewage and discharging it immediately at the coast—is a 19th century practice that is being continued in the 21st century. It is not discharged three kilometres to sea; it is not discharged one kilometre to sea. It is discharged at the coast.

Over the last two weeks I have received numerous calls, emails and letters from constituents who either reside in the area of Gunnamatta Beach or surf or swim at Gunnamatta Beach. The reason they have contacted me is that they, to a person, have stated that both the water quality and the stench are the worst they have ever known at Gunnamatta. So we have a real problem, with a demonstrable source, and a significant problem of inaction.

This has been compounded by the fact that on 26 August last year the Deputy Premier of Victoria, John Thwaites, who is also the environment minister, allowed the EPA to provide Melbourne Water with an extension on its licence to discharge secondary treated sewage at the coastal point for a number of years to come. They had been under an obligation to upgrade the level of treatment to tertiary. The EPA, with the consent of the Deputy Premier, has allowed this practice of dumping to go on. Last weekend and the previous weekend—over the last two weeks—we have paid the price for that decision and for a period of continuous inaction. It is unacceptable that this practice of dumping sewage off our coasts continues. The reality of that is before our eyes and is faced by the people who live near the beach and who use the beach. It is being experienced at its very worst as I speak in this House.

In addition to that, I recently approached the Victorian government through the auspices of the Deputy Premier and sought that they release on a weekly basis the figures for the discharge quantities at this outfall, so that the community could be aware, and for those figures to be placed on Melbourne Water’s website. That request was refused by the Deputy Premier. There is no reason why these figures should not be made available to the public on a continuous basis. The solution is clear: upgrade the outfall, make the figures available, end the pollution. (Time expired)