Critical Times

MEDIA RELEASE by Mark Parnell

26/09/2007

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has condemned the Government’s short-sighted knock-back of recycled effluent in favour of sea water desalination.

“Recycled waste water is a cheaper and better alternative for the environment than trying to turn sea water into fresh.

“Currently we send millions of litres of water out into the sea as waste that pollutes our marine environment, kills off precious sea grass and causes major sand erosion.

“Instead of dumping this water we should be turning it into something useful. We can use the same technology as desalination, but use it on waste water. The beauty is it uses much less energy to turn waste water into drinking water than it does to turn sea water into fresh – and we stop environmental damage at the same time.

“Major cities, such a London, have been using recycled waste water for years – it’s just common sense. We’re going to have to do it eventually, so let’s embrace it now and harvest the rewards through exporting our knowledge and technology.

“I would have thought the Premier as Minister for Sustainability would understand the importance of ‘closing the loop’ – come on Mike, get past the ‘yuk’ factor and start seriously addressing the water challenge we face in a sustainable way,” Mr Parnell said.