Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Democracy versus leadership in Poowoomba

By Jennifer Marohasy - posted Monday, 31 July 2006


Why did Prime Minister John Howard insist that the people of Toowoomba vote on the issue of waste water recycling? Why didn’t he just give the Mayor of Toowoomba Di Thorley the $23 million she requested to build a state-of-the-art water recycling facility? The project met all the criteria for funding under the National Water Initiative.

Perhaps, like me, the Prime Minister assumed the vote would get up. He assumed that the people of Toowoomba, perched on the edge of the Great Diving Range at the headwaters of the Murray Darling Basin, would accept this was the best option.

Safe water yields in Toowoomba were exceeded in 1998 and the population has kept growing. In the immediate to short term, the city needs to find an additional 7,000 megalitres a year and in the medium-to-long term another 12,500 megalitres.

Advertisement

The Queensland Government has ruled out the possibility of a new dam as it would be upstream of Wivenhoe Dam, the main water supply for Brisbane. Queensland Gas Company has claimed it could supply Toowoomba with water from its coal-seam gas mines, but the Toowoomba City Council claims supply would be unreliable and the water too salty for drinking without expensive treatment.

Toowoomba is too far from the coast to consider desalination and pumping from groundwater is not sustainable in the longer term.

But all of these options may need to be revisited as the recycling option was voted down on Saturday. Over 60 per cent of residents voted “no” to the city council’s proposal for waste-water recycling.

Toowoomba’s Mayor Di Thorley has been a great ambassador for both recycling and for an independent, self-reliant Toowoomba. But in conceding defeat she suggested Queensland Premier Peter Beattie now take over responsibility for providing Toowoomba’s water needs.

Until a week ago the Premier would not publicly support the project and had ruled out the possibility of Brisbane residents ever drinking recycled sewage.

But the weekend before the referendum, the Premier had what On Line Opinion chief editor Graham Young described as a “Damascus Road conversion” and came out publicly supporting waste-water recycling. It was the same weekend Brisbane hosted Earth Dialogues and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev spoke in favour of waste-water recycling for Toowoomba.

Advertisement

There was never any shortage of proponents for the “yes” vote. Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett campaigned for the “yes” vote, as did Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Don Burke from Burke’s Backyard and chair of new environment group the Australian Environment Foundation, issued a media release just before the referendum suggesting that Toowoomba was leading the way, addressing an issue that other cities had so far failed to address.

Ian Kiernan from Clean Up Australia gave his backing to the plan claiming that with the right science and technology waste-water recycling is 100 per cent safe. Even the Australian Greens support the technology on the basis it will decrease per capita consumption of freshwater.

So what went wrong? Why did the referendum fail? Who opposed the project?

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All
Advertisement
 Institute of Public Affairs Advertisement

 

Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

148 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Jennifer Marohasy is a senior fellow with the Institute for Public Affairs.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Jennifer Marohasy
Related Links
Water futures by Dianne Thorley - On Line Opinion

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Jennifer Marohasy
Article Tools
Comment 148 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Latest from Institute of Public Affairs
 No reality holiday from this population challenge
 For budgets only smaller is tougher
 Government subsidies to green groups must end
 Boot-strapping on a carbon tax
 West's history not complete without reference to Christianity
 More...
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy