Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about the important investment this government has made in water infrastructure. I was very pleased last week to be with Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, to announce some significant funding for South Australia as part of the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns program. South Australia shared in $19.2 million of federal government funding to implement a variety of projects to re-use waste water and perhaps to collect storm water. Statewide there are 29 subprojects that will help 18 South Australian councils diversify their future water supplies and improve their capacity to better manage current water resources.

We in South Australia know how precious water is. We are seeing some significant continuing water shortages where we are struggling to meet our critical water needs as well as irrigation and water for the environment. Being downstream of the Murray we know only too well what climate change in combination with over-allocation is doing to our water supplies. The community in Adelaide and South Australia has very much welcomed the significant investment that this government has made in water infrastructure so that Adelaide can reduce its reliance on the Murray-Darling system and make sure that we are conserving water as best as is possible.

I was very pleased that, as part of this announcement last week, the City of Onkaparinga in my local electorate received money for their subproject worth $52,000. This included a project for the McLaren Vale Information Centre that would reduce the use of potable water by using recycled water, which is very important. This visitor centre has many people come through its doors. The vineyard opposite is receiving recycled water from another government project. The other project is that at McLaren Flat Recreation Ground. This important community hub will now use stormwater and rainwater capture from roofs of the facility to put on the grounds. This will benefit the football club, the tennis club and the community centre. This set of infrastructure projects is not the first that my local electorate has received. After 12 years of neglect by the previous government when it came to conserving water, we have seen this government invest in water infrastructure.

It started when I was elected and was delivering on my election commitment to provide $3.5 million to the area of McLaren Vale and to the irrigators to get them off mains water and onto recycled water. That was a really important investment to conserve water. In addition, this government funded the Onkaparinga City Council to the tune of $34.45 million for waterproofing south stage 1 and has now followed up with another $14.97 million to undertake waterproofing south stage 2. This is an innovative project to capture and harvest stormwater and then put it into wetlands and re-use it for watering parks and gardens and other council facilities. This is looking at harvesting over 1,300 million litres of water, a significant amount that will go into the community. In addition, my electorate and the City of Onkaparinga have also received a $750,000 investment to help the council construct the Woodcroft Green Precinct designed for the library and the neighbourhood centre as a demonstration site to show community members how to use the most efficient lighting but also how they might re-use water, how they can use solar panels and a whole range of things. (Time expired)