*Pic: The buck stops here … Peter Gutwein and Premier Will Hodgman spruik the 2016 budget …
The Hodgman Government should wake up to itself and mediate a solution to the TasWater impasse, said former Huon Valley mayor Peter Coad today.
“Anyone, by throwing a bucket of taxpayers’ money at a problem, can come up with a proposal that would speed up TasWater’s program,” he said. “But, by doing so, vested interests will spot the opportunity for quick financial returns by giving their support to Minister for Planning and Local Government Peter Gutwein’s proposal.
“The question is, if the same amount of money were given to TasWater as a council-owned entity, would it do a better job?
“I believe the answer could be ‘Yes ‘— but we all know there has been no consultation or discussion on this contentious issue. Instead, the Minister is charging ahead with legislation to take TasWater away from its ratepayers’ ownership.”
Mr Coad said Minister Gutwein, last February, foreshadowed forcing councils to sacrifice more of their TasWater dividends to fund infrastructure upgrades, at about the time Premier Will Hodgman was telling State Parliament that councils’ anticipated returns from TasWater were guaranteed.
In fact, said Mr Coad, Mr Hodgman had said, “They won’t get a dollar less”.
Huon Valley’s ex-mayor continued: “Minister Gutwein’s change of position to buy support demonstrates the difficulty he has in comprehending the scale and responsibility that goes with managing such important infrastructure.”
The TasWater impasse between the State Government and local government, he said, was of real concern to many ratepayers and taxpayers across Tasmania.
He noted that litigation for the forced takeover had already been foreshadowed, a development that would cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Politicians should resolve complex issues in a professional and productive way rather than adopting adversarial positions simply to further their political interests.”
Mr Coad said the energies of both parties would not be wasted if Minister Gutwein agreed to mediate a suitable solution to the TasWater controversy.
“I know that TasWater, as a council-owned entity, has worked hard at keeping the community informed. It has an open-door policy on community issues, concerns and consultation.
“The Liberal Government should sit down with the TasWater Board and local government representatives and come up with a solution that is in the interest of all Tasmanians.”
The mediation process, he said, should also involve the Federal Government and Infrastructure Australia, because each had identified Tasmania’s water and sewerage infrastructure as part of a list of priority national projects.
“Tasmania received nothing of note in infrastructure funding in the May Federal Budget,” said Mr Coad, “which says a lot about the performance of Infrastructure Tasmania and the Minister responsible for infrastructure.”
Mr Coad said that, if the Hodgman Government would not mediate a solution to the impasse, then the State Labor Opposition should show leadership and work with Canberra and Infrastructure Australia to broker a solution to TasWater’s infrastructure needs.
“From his experience,” said Mr Coad, “the Minister’s capacity to mediate a successful outcome to the TasWater conflict is doubtful, this best being demonstrated by his failure to mediate and manage local-government conflict that continues to fester.
“Taxpayers deserve an explanation from Mr Gutwein as to how the extra State funding he says he intends to put into TasWater will be reflected in reduced costs to ratepayers.” — July 21, 2017
