Tasmania depends on better water and sewerage infrastructure

Having first world water and sewerage infrastructure is vitally important for public health and Tasmania’s reputation for growing quality produce like oysters.
The Hodgman Liberal Government has outlined a plan to fix Tasmania’s failing water and sewerage infrastructure faster and cheaper for customers and avoiding steep price increases promised by TasWater, and supported by Labor.
It is not acceptable to have 25 towns on boil water or do not consume alerts, sewage spills seven times the national average and only one of 78 sewerage treatment plants compliant with EPA standards.
Here at the Estuarine Oyster Company, at Cambridge, managing director Josh Poke has to close down for 3 weeks when there is a sewage spill. He was one of four oyster farmers who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in Christmas 2014 when a pump station overflow near Richmond halted production of 90,000 dozen oysters at the peak selling time.
It is these sorts of incidents that are still happening around Tasmania, most recently at St Helens in January when oyster farms were closed for nearly 4 weeks because of an overflow.
If we are going to build Tasmania’s future and create jobs throughout the State we need to get on with rebuilding our second rate water and sewerage infrastructure.
We want to see the oyster industry grow and prosper, but it needs 21st century water and sewerage infrastructure.
Our plan will bring forward 1000 construction jobs and is fairer, faster and cheaper for everyone while also keeping water charges and rates down for consumers.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water