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

I rise in this grievance debate on a matter of great concern and importance to the future of the Central Coast—that is, water. Currently we are experiencing the worst drought on record, with water restrictions tightened to level 4 on 1 October 2006. For local residents, this has meant that they have been unable to water their gardens, wash their cars or top up their pools unless they have access to alternative water supplies, such as from a tank or a bore. The installation of a tank or bore for many of my constituents is not a feasible option due to the high costs involved in the purchase and delivery of the tank and other needed components, the hiring of a professional plumber to install and connect the tank as well as ongoing maintenance costs, particularly if they are connected to town water.

The watering of sporting fields, school ovals and grassed areas has been banned, meaning that local children are suffering because many of these popular play areas have become unsafe and often unusable due to the lack of watering making them hard, dry and dusty. The federal government’s Community Water Grants program has greatly contributed to conserving water. Thirty-one local community groups and schools in the Dobell electorate have so far benefited from almost $1.1 million under this program. Our present dire water situation has highlighted the need for a clear long-term strategy to ensure a safe, secure and sustainable water supply.

In 1975, under a state Liberal government, the public works department devised a plan for Central Coast water. It relied on the construction of the Mangrove Creek Dam, and this was undertaken by the state government. They called for tenders, ran the project and provided 50 per cent of the funding. The Mangrove Creek Dam was intended to be a reservoir. Its capacity was to be several times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour and it was to be capable of having 30 metres of extra wall. If we added two metres to the dam wall, the capacity would go up by 1½ times. If we added five metres to the dam wall, the capacity would increase by three times. Unfortunately this plan has not been fully implemented. A former mayor of Gosford, Mrs Pat Harrison, was quoted in a local paper recently. She said that she was unable to get state government approval to build the missing link that would link Mardi and Mangrove Creek dams. This request was made several times and was knocked back by the state government on each occasion.

With my engineering background, I have already looked at other options in discussion with council engineers, and the pipeline linking Mardi Dam and Mangrove Creek is the best way to proceed. They are also looking at other options, such as groundwater and recycling of water. Rainwater collected in the Yarramalong and Dooralong valleys flows into the Wyong River, and a new weir would enable high-level flows to be transferred to Mardi Dam. This water would be virtually free for our residents. A pipeline from Mardi Dam to Boomerang Creek tunnel and then to Mangrove Creek Dam would allow the water from Mardi Dam to be stored, helping to future-proof our water supply. I have been discussing this project with my federal colleagues for the past three years. It is something the state government and local councils should have done many years ago. The Central Coast water authority developed a plan called Water Plan 2050. This plan was recently adopted by both Gosford council and Wyong Shire Council. In fact, the plan went on public display last Monday and is open for comment by the public until the end of June.

At a recent meeting between federal and state MPs and the local councils on the Central Coast, which I called to discuss support for the missing link proposal, Labor’s lack of interest in securing our water supply was apparent. The Central Coast state Labor MPs did not even bother to attend. Unfortunately, the state government’s proposal for Tillegra Dam is no solution; it is a way to rip off our water users. Even if state Labor kept their promise, Tillegra Dam would not be built for another 10 years to 15 years, and in the meantime the Central Coast could become a dust bowl. We already have low dam levels—Mangrove Creek Dam is at 10½ per cent—so why on earth do we need another dam near Dungog? Maybe it will assist the Hunter, but it is not going to do anything for the Central Coast.

The water transfer system must be built. It will store Central Coast water and could also take Hunter water and bank it. If the state government project ever happened, it would leave the Central Coast indebted to the Hunter Water board for decades to come. Water from the Hunter—and Hunter Water is 100 per cent owned by the state government—would cost residents an additional 90c a kilolitre. The New South Wales government obviously expects Central Coast residents to continue paying this for the next 60 years. Premier Iemma’s capital investment program would do little more than bleed our residents and feed more dividends into the state government’s coffers. The Central Coast community should be very suspicious of Labor’s announcement in relation to water. I am concerned that, should the Central Coast water authority become an arm of the Iemma government—which is what state Labor is pushing for—future proposals to increase water and sewerage charges for Central Coast residents would not be subject to public scrutiny. Local people are entitled to expect some scrutiny.

A state Labor minister would have the authority to appoint three board members. The other two members of a five-member board would be one each from Wyong and Gosford councils. State Labor’s main priority is to control and profit from the Central Coast water supply, and its announcements are about funding backdoor ways to further strip the local identity. State Labor is the approval authority for the environmental assessment and the project itself. State Labor must stop playing politics with our vital resources and get on with the job of providing real outcomes for the Central Coast.

The practical solution to the water crisis is to use Mangrove Creek Dam as a reservoir, as was always intended. We need three levels of government to find the solution and to fund the solution. We have Labor federal candidates—for Dobell and Robertson—supporting the missing link, and the Leader of the Opposition visited my electorate on Friday to promise $40 million to the missing link pipeline project. The project cost is $80 million. This promise will cover only half the cost of the project, and the state government has already ruled out funding the other half. On 10 May 2007, state Labor voted against a motion in the New South Wales parliament that supported the missing link. It called on them to explain why they opposed it. Instead of explaining themselves, they rejected the idea altogether. Federal Labor’s promise of half the funding would leave Wyong and Gosford councils to contribute the other $40 million—which they simply do not have. That means that this plan is literally dead in the water.

The Leader of the Opposition is promising his $40 million, knowing that he will never be forced to actually fund the project. This is typical Labor Central Coast politics, and the people of the Central Coast are sick of it. Six months out from an election, they promise millions for a project they know will never happen. We have had this before with the fast-train link to Sydney, the Tillegra Dam and now the missing link—all from Labor six months out from important elections and all without any chance of happening.

The member for Griffith should be putting pressure on his state Labor colleagues to contribute funding to this project. State Labor should not be allowed to walk away from its obligation to the Central Coast community. The Leader of the Opposition did not even bother to meet with the mayors of Wyong and Gosford councils or the council engineers, and he did not even get the facts on this project during his visit to Dobell. I doubt that he has even seen Water Plan 2050. Curiously enough, they did not even invite the state Labor MPs. They did not even know that the Leader of the Opposition was visiting the coast. Furthermore, his press release does not indicate how a federal Labor government would fund its $40 million promise.

Alternatively, the Howard government has a strong record on its commitment to future-proofing the Central Coast water supply. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, with his vague promises, the member for Robertson and I are working on securing a real funding commitment towards this pipeline so that councils can begin working on the project within months. We have been working for some time, together with the councils, to find a solution for the water crisis. By working with the community, we have been able to secure $2.6 million for the Porters Creek Wetland Stormwater Harvesting project. The Australian government has also contributed $6.7 million to the Hunter water pipeline, along with the councils and the Hunter Water Corporation. We have been proactive when it comes to working for the Central Coast, but there is still more to be done. With the building of the missing link pipeline, the Central Coast will be self-sufficient once again. I am calling on the state government to scrap its pie-in-the-sky plans for the Tillegra Dam and instead work with local councils and the Howard government to see this project through.

Just before question time today, we had the member for Grayndler—the master of frivolous points of order—speaking of rhetoric. Where is the other $40 million? Why did you not invite the state Labor MPs to your announcement at Mardi? You have gone from the missing link to the missing millions—some solution! I would also like to note that the Leader of the Opposition’s PA and Councillor Neil Rose were acting like union thugs at the meeting last week. They were ordering ratepayers to leave the Mardi Dam, claiming it was a private Labor meeting. That is some way for the opposition leader and the member for Grayndler—together with their federal Labor colleagues in Robertson and Dobell—to show how they care. It is just an excuse for more union thuggery. That is what we can expect from union people who have now blown in from Melbourne to take on the Central Coast candidates. It is absolutely disgusting and it should be stopped.