Page 4721 - Week 15 - Thursday, 16 December 1993
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Madam Speaker, the Government also intends that issues of particular significance for families in the ACT will be priorities in the work that we undertake during this year.
I would like to note that in the 1993-94 budget we did give careful consideration to the International Year of the Family in preparation for it, and we announced a number of initiatives designed to provide support for families. Amongst others, these initiatives included the concessions reforms which deliver benefits to 19,000 Canberra households, the child at risk unit, the campaign to address violence against women, and the new home loan programs such as home entry, home access and home buyer which are aimed at increasing the home ownership opportunities of existing public tenants and low income and first home buyers. Madam Speaker, it is my intention to officially launch the International Year of the Family in the Assembly in February 1994 during our earliest sittings. That launch is designed to ensure the highest profile for the year following the Christmas break and following the wind-up of the current International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
Waste Water Scheme
MS ELLIS: My question is directed to the Minister for Urban Services. Can the Minister inform the Assembly of any initiatives in place or under consideration to reuse water in this city?
MR CONNOLLY: ACTEW this week launched a very significant project involving expenditure of about $1.9m, two-thirds of that being Commonwealth money.
Mr Cornwell: You can use some of it for washing your hands of the electoral Bill.
MR CONNOLLY: Members may think this is not worth listening to, but it is quite significant. It is being used to trial an innovative waste water scheme in North Canberra. The trial involves mining the main sewer, taking the water up at Southwell Park, and treating it in a very innovative form of new mini treatment plant to a quality where it will be extremely safe and can be used for general irrigation and agriculture. The residue will go back into the main sewer and down to the Lower Molonglo. The plant will use an innovative form of Australian technology which is being used in Japan at the moment commercially but which has not been able to achieve significant commercial success in Australia.
The holders of the intellectual property over that innovation have been working very closely with ACTEW to develop a new scheme which is totally new to this plant and which itself has significant export potential throughout Australia and throughout the world. This is part of the Government's plan to significantly reduce Canberra's water use. The plant at Southwell Park will be a world and Australian first. There is great interest in the plant and I look forward to reporting to the Assembly when it is completed. If it meets its expectations, it points to a new way forward for water use and reuse for all of Australia.
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