GOVT MUST SEEK $ FOR WATER METERS

Federal Money Can Reduce Consumer Price Shock-if Treasurer Rules out ‘Double-Dipping’

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Treasurer, Michael Aird, to ensure that the new Water Corporations submit grant applications to the Federal Government for the installing of water meters on all properties that currently do not have them, following federal advertisements in the weekend’s newspapers.

Greens Water spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that, rather than wasting more taxpayers’ money on expensive advertising, it would be more helpful to the average Tasmanian for Treasurer Aird to guarantee that he will not ‘double-dip’ should the Water Corporations succeed in getting grant moneys and will instead reduce the massive price rises currently proposed for the next two years.

“Treasurer Aird must guarantee two things. First, we need a commitment that high quality funding applications from all three Water Corporations will be submitted to the Federal ‘National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns’ grant scheme, and second, he must guarantee that should federal monies be received that he will immediately reduce the new water and sewerage price hikes that Tasmanians are being slugged,” Mr Morris said.

“Treasurer Aird guaranteeing that double-dipping will not occur, that if Federal grant money is secured then the price hikes will be reduced for the Tasmanian consumer, will actually help people much more that expensive newspaper adverts.”

“It is clear that the Australian Government is very keen to ensure that urban water consumption is reduced and they have allocated many millions of dollars to a grants program that fits perfectly with the need to install water meters to the remaining Tasmanian properties that do not as yet have them, which will then allow state-wide implementation of two-part pricing.”

“The Bartlett Government has failed to maximise its opportunities to get Australian Government funding in recent times and this must not happen again especially when there has been a multi-million dollar fund established just for this very purpose which is why I raised the issue in the Parliament.”

“In the investigation undertaken by the Economic Regulator there was no grant moneys factored into the new water and sewerage corporations income so the entire cost for any capital works including installing water meters is currently being borne by the customers when traditionally there has been significant grants from both State and federal Governments to assist with infrastructure upgrades,” Mr Morris said.
Download: Copy of the Federal Government advertisement (1 pg): WaterSecurityPlanApplication_TMorris_ATTACH.pdf
Tim Morris MP Greens Water Spokesperson