Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Water is amongst our most precious assets. It is a source of life for every living organism on the planet and it is indispensable to our very humanity. Therefore, I was pleased to announce in the Ryan electorate funding to a range of very worthwhile recipients who can be credited for doing their bit to encourage water conservation, to promote water preservation education and the efficient use of water.

I congratulate the Ashgrove Golf Club, who have received $50,000. They will do their bit by improving their irrigation practices. I congratulate the Glenleighden school in my electorate, which is a special school which caters for young children with learning difficulties. They are educating young children in the Ryan electorate about the value of water. I congratulate the Chapel Hill State School P&C. They received $47,800 for the installation of rainwater tanks. Jamboree Heights State School, in the centenary suburbs, received $44,000 for implementing a range of water-saving initiatives, including special taps, as well as replacing inefficient toilets and sealing leaks. These are all very important methods of preserving water.

Kenmore South State School, a very fine school in the Ryan electorate, received $24,000 for rainwater collection, irrigation and toilets. Save our Waterways Now Inc., a not-for-profit community organisation, received $21,000. Their project will restore and revegetate a natural wetland in the Ryan electorate. I also want to praise the University of Queensland. They received $50,000 for a project that will improve water efficiency at their university. The Australian government has now announced 1,750 successful projects funded under round 1 of the community water grants. This represents an investment of $61.6 million in practical community water based solutions to protect Australia’s valuable water resources.

For my part, as the federal member for Ryan, I have put out a calendar which encourages my constituents to be very conscious of saving water. One of the little blurbs on my calendar reminds Ryan constituents that if they spend two minutes less in the shower they will save over 425 litres of water a month, a very important reminder and announcement. I congratulate the people of Ryan for their support of the government’s water initiative. (Time expired)