Page 3317 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 1994
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MS FOLLETT: I thought I had made that very clear, Madam Speaker; but I will say again that it is a matter of public service management that travel requests, movement requisitions, allowances, acquittals and so on for officers of the public service do not come near me, and the matter of tightening up the management of these areas will be addressed. I would also say to Mr Cornwell, in particular with regard to New Zealand, that it is a fact that New Zealand is included on the majority of ministerial councils as a member of those ministerial councils, and officers who travel with Ministers to those councils therefore frequently have to go to meetings in New Zealand. So, that is one reason why that might have been handled as domestic travel. This is actually inherited from the Commonwealth guidelines which were, in fact, part of the Australian Public Service. It is also the fact that later this year travel between Australia and New Zealand will be deregulated, so to speak, and will in effect be treated by the airlines and the Federal aviation authorities as domestic. So, again, that is another possible explanation for their confusion. But an error is an error, Madam Speaker. I am glad that these errors have been picked up. I thank the Auditor-General for that work, and the matters will be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Water Supply - Chemical Additives
MR STEVENSON: Madam Speaker, my question is to Mr Lamont and concerns the decision by the Water Board in Sydney to phase out the use of aluminium sulphate, commonly referred to as alum. Of course, aluminium sulphate is used as a flocculant to bind together the fine sediment that then goes through mechanical filters. Their decision came about as a result of research they had commissioned with a particular medical organisation in Sydney. Their head medical officer was part of the research. Because of the possible connection with Alzheimer's disease, they decided to use a different flocculant, probably ferric chloride, iron chloride, which is used quite extensively by water trusts in the UK and some European countries. There were two concerns the Water Board had. The first one, of course, was the health of people drinking the water. The second was potential product liability claims. It was not absolutely conclusive evidence about the connection, but they were concerned. Wherever an alternative is possible they deemed it advisable. The question is: Is aluminium sulphate used in our drinking water in the ACT? Is any action contemplated to handle the potential problem?
MR LAMONT: I thank the member for his question. Yes, I am aware of the report that was in one of the Sydney daily papers indicating that the New South Wales Government owned iron chloride plant will probably now produce iron chloride for the New South Wales Government, for them to include in their water, as opposed to using alum. The suggestions that have been made, as far as the causation of Alzheimer's through alum is concerned, are not only not conclusively proven but - - -
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