Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I know we have had a lot of water in northern Australia, particularly in Far North Queensland. I know that in recognition of the drought you have taken all the water out of the ornamental lakes around this building. What I do not know is what measures your department has taken with regard to measures to save water around the building, particularly the lawns. Secondly, would you ascertain for me why there is a need to water the top of the building. I believe it is part of the construction of the building.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for McMillan for his question—a very important question in this time of drought. The Department of Parliamentary Services has taken quite a range of measures to reduce water consumption in this building and I believe that we have reduced it by some 35 per cent since water restrictions came in. I will give the member more details later rather than answer his question at length now. But, in relation to the second part of his question, he is right: as part of the design of the building there is a membrane beneath the grass on top of the building which needs to be kept damp, otherwise it runs the risk of cracking. If that were to happen, water would come through the roof into the building when it rained. So for that reason, as the honourable member has correctly identified, the design requires that we continue to keep the lawn on top of the building watered as much as we reasonably can without using too much water.