Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Wednesday 23 August the Prime Minister visited my electorate of Dobell where he attended a community morning tea, hosted by me, with over 500 local residents. Many more could not be put into the situation. Businesspeople, community groups and school representatives were included in the group. It was a fantastic event and the Central Coast community thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister face to face. He also made a trip to Wyong and over 120 people called the Central Coast Express Advocate to note his visit.

The Prime Minister also visited the Mardi Dam where he announced $2.6 million in federal funding toward the Porters Creek Wetland Stormwater Harvesting project. This project will help protect the significant wetland areas of Porters Creek from stormwater that will flow from urban development in the catchment. With the Central Coast’s rapidly growing population this announcement comes at a vital time and builds on existing water-saving measures already in place. This announcement is in addition to the $6.6 million in federal funding that I secured earlier this year toward the construction of a pipeline that is capable of transferring 20 megalitres of water per day from the Hunter to the Central Coast.

These funding announcements reflect the Australian government’s commitment to securing the Central Coast’s water future. The Porters Creek Wetland Stormwater Harvesting project will enable stormwater to be collected and treated from the Porters Creek Wetland and transferred to the Wyong River and Mardi Dam. The project also has the potential to provide a cost-effective solution to securing the region’s water supply. The scheme, when completed, could also contribute 5.4 gigalitres of harvested water per year to the region’s drinking water supply, subject of course to New South Wales government approval. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Wyong Shire Council and Gosford City Council for their innovative approach to finding water solutions for current and future generations on the Central Coast. They are trying to future proof our water supply on the Central Coast and I enjoy working closely with them on important projects such as this.

This is only a catch-up as opportunities have been lost in the past when Labor controlled all three levels of government. This is why I am extremely disappointed at a newsletter by Labor MLC John Hatzistergos that has recently been circulated in parts of my electorate. The lead story purports that Premier Morris Iemma has a major plan to fix the Wyong and Gosford councils’ water mismanagement. He then accuses our local councils of years of inaction and blames both councils for the water crisis on the Central Coast. What an absolute fraud. Mr Iemma then tries to take credit for the construction of the $30 million pipeline from the Hunter to the Central Coast. Where is his government’s commitment? Where is your miserly money, Morris? Nothing has been put on the table.

This project is in fact a joint collaboration between various levels of government, with the federal government, the Hunter Water Authority and the Central Coast Joint Water Authority each contributing one-third of the required funding. The brochure is full of ALP promises that they are going to contribute this or that. In fact, I eagerly kept reading the newsletter expecting to see in the print guarantees of yet another fast train from Sydney to Newcastle. It is an absolute perennial. Every time there is a state election, up comes the fast train to Newcastle. They have re-announced everything else; why not that?

The truth is: Wyong Shire Council Mayor, Councillor Bob Graham, and Gosford Council Mayor, Councillor Laurie Maher, as well as the engineering directors and general managers of both councils should be commended for the efforts they are taking to improve our water resources. It is a bit rich for the Australian Labor Party to distribute glossy brochures to local residents attacking our local councils while they sit and do nothing to stop conglomerate after conglomerate coming to the Central Coast to profit from coal mining, gas mining and other projects that are likely to contaminate our water supply.

The only level of government that is guilty of mismanagement and putting our water supply and natural environment at risk is the New South Wales Iemma Labor government and I call on them to support a moratorium on any further mining proposals in the Wyong valleys of Yarramalong and Dooralong. Rather than announcing a Central Coast highway which amounts to nothing more than signs, let us see them do something practical. Rather than 400 metres on the Pacific Highway and 400 metres on The Entrance Road, let us do something positive. Forget your glossy brochures; get on and do your job.