Peter Gutwein and James Walker – armchair experts

The Treasurer and Liberal candidate for Pembroke’s predictable attack on TasWater is armchair expertise at its worst.
“TasWater’s first priority is the health of our customers,” said TasWater Chairman Miles Hampton.
“The Treasurer’s priority seems to be trying to get James Walker elected in Pembroke.”
“While the Liberal Party is trying to score political points by making unverified claims and uninformed generalisations, TasWater is in the field finding the true cause of the e.coli strike in Risdon Vale.
“Mr Walker has said the water treatment plant at Risdon Vale is dysfunctional, but TasWater has not yet concluded its investigation into the possible causes of yesterday’s e.coli detection.
“On the same day, three other samples in the Risdon Vale supply zone recorded were clear and 20 other samples on the Eastern Shore were also clear.
“This is why we think the issue is highly localised, and not necessarily as a result of so-called ‘failing infrastructure’, and why we continue to working methodically and scientifically through all the possibilities.
“If Mr Walker or anyone else has specific information about system performance, we would be glad to hear it.
“Otherwise, their input is not helpful and has to be seen as political opportunism.”
Mr Hampton said that today’s media conference by the Treasurer saw a repeat of his previous claim – that the State Government is somehow capable of tackling our water and sewerage challenges faster and cheaper than TasWater – which has been comprehensively debunked.
“While the State Government’s plan will keep prices artificially lower by rolling back decades of reform, it will lead to increased debt to fund an unnecessarily rushed capital works program that will risk making more of the problems TasWater was created to fix.
“Up to $600 million in unnecessary debt will need to be repaid one day, with interest, at the taxpayer’s expense,” Mr Hampton said. “In contrast, TasWater’s 10 year plan is fully funded while keeping prices as low as possible.
“There is one thing on which TasWater and the Treasurer agree: the residents of Risdon Vale need to have clean water restored as quickly as possible, and that is what we’re focussed on doing.
“Unless the Treasurer or James Walker or anyone else is prepared to guarantee that these kinds of incidents will not happen under State Government ownership, the voters of Pembroke can decide for themselves whether or not to believe their claims.”
TasWater