weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

2620 Plumbing and Drainage and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 23 Aug 2005
Mr CHOI (Capalaba—ALP) (6.06 pm): It gives me great pleasure to rise in support of the
Plumbing and Drainage and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2005. Australia is the driest continent of
the world with the lowest percentage of rainfall as run-off, the lowest amount of water in rivers and the
smallest percentage of area of permanent wetland. On average, only 12 per cent of rainfall run-off in
Australia is collected in rivers. In five of Australia’s drainage divisions the run-off is less than two per
cent. In two of the most substantial drainage divisions—being the tropical monsoonal division of the
Timor Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria—the run-off exceeds a healthy 20 per cent. The remaining
88 per cent of rainfall is accounted for by reparations, water use by vegetation and water held in
storages including natural lakes, wetlands and ground water aquifers.
The drought that happened in this nation between 2001 and 2003 focused the thinking of much of
the Australian community towards our dependence on the nation’s limited water resources. Australia’s
land management has been progressively adapting to our environment as our understanding of it
increases and as we recognise the need to better manage our water resources and what we take from
and return to those resources.
In the early 1990s the Australian states began to develop their own environmental protection
agencies and to establish policies on monitoring and licensing waste management, including waste
water discharges from sewage treatment plants. That interest has intensified in the first few years of this
millennium. Yet five years on in the new millennium, Australia is now experiencing a widespread
drought. Water restrictions in most capital cities brought home to the urban population that water is
indeed a very limited resource. It was revealed that, whilst some of our treated sewage effluent was
being recycled for agricultural use, that had not of itself reduced the demand for mains water. Most of
the water used for agriculture and around half of the water being used for industrial and domestic
purposes does not need to be water of drinking quality.
Increasingly, waste water, stormwater and rainwater are seen as recycleable resources rather
than simply as a disposal problem. All levels of government—local, state and federal—and water
agencies have come to recognise that in a dry country such as ours, waste water, effluent, stormwater
and rainwater are complementary additional water resources rather than a disposal problem. However,
the maintenance of confidence and trust between water agencies and consumers is essential. The
community has high expectations for the security and safety of its water supply and is extremely
sensitive to any health risk.
Australia has the third highest per capita consumption of water, after the USA and Canada, of all
OECD countries. Australian cities consume as much water per capita per hectare as irrigation areas.
We use 320 litres per person per day. Our consumption is the second highest in the world after the
United States. Although the introduction of a demand management pricing structure has temporarily
slowed the increasing trend of domestic consumption in the major cities, these trends are likely to
continue to grow as urban populations continue to increase.
Having said all of that, the Queensland government is showing leadership on those issues. In
2001, it established the Queensland Water Recycling Strategy, with implementation by the Queensland
Environmental Protection Agency, which enables Queensland to use recycled water far more efficiently
and effectively. This legislation is an outcome of that strategy. The strategy defines water recycling as
the sustainable and beneficial use of appropriately treated waste water, urban stormwater and rainwater
in ways that safeguard public health and environmental values, and the quality of the water must be
matched to its purpose.
The primary purpose of this bill is to provide a legal framework for grey water usage by home
owners in sewered areas. As we speak, all grey water generated in sewered areas has to be discharged
through the sewer. The grey water provisions of this bill allow, in the future, for grey water from baths,
showers, basins and laundries to be used by households to irrigate gardens. Black water, which is
waste water containing human waste, cannot be used. Kitchen grey water is also not to be recycled.
There is certainly community awareness of the need to better manage Australia’s water
resources. Waste water, effluent, stormwater and rainwater should be seen as complementary water
resources which are of value rather than a problem to be disposed of. A clear platform for greater
consideration of water recycling opportunities is evident in this bill.
Last but not least, I congratulate the minister and her team for putting this wonderful piece of
legislation together. I commend this bill to the House.
Mr LEE (Indooroopilly—ALP) (6.12 pm): I am delighted to rise in the House today in support of
the Plumbing and Drainage and Other Legislation Amendment Bill. This is incredibly important and very
timely legislation. I take this opportunity to thank the minister and her department for bringing this
legislation before the House.
Australia has climatic conditions that make life in this country quite harsh. We were initially
populated by migrants from Ireland, England and parts of Europe. Some people say that the Irish who
were sent here were selected by the best of the British judiciary. Regardless of why or how people came
here, they brought with them the techniques for gardening, the lifestyle choices and the agrarian
traditions that were quite common in Europe. Many of these traditions have persisted to this day.