weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

23 Aug 2005 Plumbing and Drainage and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2611
PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL
Second Reading
Resumed from 9 August 2005 (see p. 2206).
Mr MALONE (Mirani—NPA) (5.02 pm): It is with some pleasure that I rise to speak on the
Plumbing and Drainage and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2005. This bill is a step in the right
direction. I would contend that it is probably not a big enough step, but it certainly moves the legislation
in the direction in which it must go in the next few years.
As the Premier said in this House this morning, Queensland is probably facing one of its driest
periods in 100 years. The requirement for householders to save water is becoming urgent. Indeed, the
sustainability of cities on the Queensland coast remains in doubt while we are unable to supply a
sustainable water supply.
One of the ways in which we can overcome that is with this type of legislation. However, the
opposition contends that it probably does not go far enough. We should also consider issues such as a
subsidy on rainwater tanks, et cetera, which can actually have a big impact and allow our cities to supply
their own water to a certain extent.
The primary reason for the bill is to provide a legislative framework for the use of household grey
water to water gardens in sewered areas. Previously, all grey water generated in sewered areas had to
be discharged into a sewer. That has been the case for a long time. As I said, the drought conditions
across Queensland have generated a great deal of interest in other options for water conservation and
reuse. The grey water provisions in this bill provide a framework for the use of grey water in urban
settings, with sensible constraints that manage any potential public health and environmental impacts.
The objectives of the bill are achieved by the amendment of a number of existing approval,
enforcement and offence provisions to include provisions for on-site sewerage facilities, and the
introduction of a new provision which allows local governments to approve grey water use systems in
sewered areas. It is important that local governments control this. I would contend that some of the
enforcement provisions are a bit over the top. For example, once enforcement officers gain access to a
property they have extended powers. We are seeing more and more of this written into the legislation of
this government. However, in the context of this bill, I do not see a real problem with it but from the point
of view of local government it puts an extra onus on their obligations to the general community.
The bill includes the introduction of new provisions, including offence provisions to place sensible
constraints on the use of grey water and to manage potential impacts on public health and the
environment. It amends the PDA to address and clarify some issues, including providing investigative
and disciplinary powers for the Plumbers and Drainers Board to investigate complaints against
plumbers, clarifying some definitions and addressing other minor legislative matters. It amends the
Water Act so that it is not illegal to use grey water to irrigate garden and sewered areas. It also amends
the Local Government Act so that it is clear that all fees charged under the PDA are regulatory fees and
must only cover the cost to the local government of providing the service.
I would like to speak briefly on some of the provisos and the reason for the legislation. I think most
members of parliament would be well aware of them. By way of background, it has been reported that
Australians consume more water than any other people across the world. Indeed, for example, in May
2005, the Brisbane City Council estimated that Brisbane residents and businesses drew around
525 million litres of water daily from the Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams. The extent of this
usage will soon present a problem for Queensland because its annual rainfall is about 10 per cent
lower—and that is probably a conservative estimate—than 30 years ago.
Adding to the problem is the fact that around 40 per cent of good quality drinking water is used on
the garden rather than for drinking. Significant population growth in recent years has added a new
pressure. Brisbane residents and Queenslanders in a number of regional areas are already facing water
restrictions. Obviously, that is happening right across the state.
In regional centres there has been a history of poor rainfall in recent years and a subsequent fall
in dam water levels. Again, that has been highlighted in parliament today. In general, there has been a
renewed interest in recycling, rainwater tanks and the reuse of grey water for irrigating gardens. The
issue is very topical. Indeed, the opposition supports the legislation wholeheartedly. However, it would
like further incentives put in place to allow for support of people who wish to do this. As most members
realise, to retrofit a system which allows the use of grey water to a greater extent in established homes
would be almost impossible and the cost would be unmanageable. The only way that this legislation will
have any great impact is in new homes, where it is estimated that it will probably cost around $1,600 to
$2,000 to fit the system.
What we are talking about is a system that will probably only be used in homes being built and
possibly homes with suspended floors such as two-storey houses or high blocked houses. It would be
almost impossible to do for houses built on a pad. They would have to destroy some of the flooring to