[Greens-Media] Industry & govt squander Sydney households’ water savings

[John Kaye]

Industry & govt squander Sydney households’ water savings
 
Media Release: 24 July 2007
 
The hard work put in by Sydney households to reduce water demand is
been undermined by the Iemma government’s failure to rein in large
industrial consumers, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
 
Dr Kaye said: “The Iemma government is allowing the big consumers to
get away with increasing their water usage since the introduction of
level III restrictions, in some cases by 140 million litres a year. 
 
“Small users have done the right thing and massively decreased their
demand on the storages.
 
“The state government is playing Sydney households for mugs. 
 
“The failure of Water Utilities Minister Nathan Rees and his
predecessors to get tough with the big water wasters is forcing people
who do the right thing to pay for the wastefulness of a handful of big
industrial users.
 
“Mr Rees’ desalination plant will end up feeding expensive water to the
wasters, paid for by Sydney households who have worked hard to reduce
their usage.
 
“Consumers have every right to be angry. Their efforts and their money
are being wasted by a government that lacks the courage to stand up to
the big users and the intelligence to cancel the desalination plant.
 
“The long term security of this city’s water supply relies on all
customers minimising their water usage. Letting one class of customers
off the hook because they are big and politically powerful will badly
undermine future water savings efforts.
 
“The Minister needs to confront the failure of his voluntary water
savings plans and start imposing mandatory efficiency measures on
industrial and commercial users of Sydney water.
 
“We all share the storages. It is up the government to make sure we all
share the effort in conserving water,” Dr Kaye said. 
 
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 
 
 
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John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: John.Kaye at parliament.nsw.gov.au
 
mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000