Undrinkable water and stifled community growth examples of ‘regional neglect’ in debate around water security

Murray-Wellington MP David Bolt has slammed the State Government’s water management, calling undrinkable water and stifled community growth in Waroona key examples of “regional neglect”. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday night, Mr Bolt raised concerns with ongoing issues in Preston Beach where the region’s residents are forced to rely on bottled water and outdated infrastructure. He was joined in his disapproval by other Opposition members including Warren-Blackwood MLA Bevan Eatts and Member for Vasse Libby Mettam. Mr Bolt described WA’s water management as a “system in decline”, highlighting ongoing issues in Preston Beach where the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation had confirmed the calcium carbonate levels of the water were above the State’s guideline limits. “The residents of Preston Beach continue to face longstanding problems, with poor water quality that most describe as undrinkable,” he said. “Residents are forced to replace corroded fixtures, install filters and buy bottled water just to get by — a burden no modern community should have to bear.” Mr Bolt also highlighted the Shire of Waroona being forced to seek urgent upgrades to the town’s wastewater treatment facility, which has been over capacity since 2016. He said both situations were a prime example of “regional neglect”. “The Government talks about record investment into housing, yet thousands of homes cannot be built because the pumps, the pipes and the connections that make them liveable simply aren’t there,” he said. “This goes to highlight the challenges of rural communities, opening up new land when they don’t have the proper infrastructure they need — and I know this is not an issue alone in Waroona.” The increased salinity of Wellington Dam was also a major concern for Mr Bolt, who said the reservoir should be one of WA’s greatest regional water assets. He said it was unfit for many crops, forcing farmers in the Collie River Irrigation District to restrict themselves to lower-value production or soil degradation. “Without secure water infrastructure, hundreds of jobs in the horticultural industry in my region will be at risk in the future,” he said. Minister for Water and the South West Don Punch hit back at the claims. He said the Opposition was not interested in addressing wider issues, and only focusing on its local electorates. Mr Punch said the motion was nothing but “condemnation” and “polarisation”. He told the chamber he had been assured by Water Corporation and was “very confident” planning for Waroona’s wastewater would coincide with development within the region. “Bringing assets together so that they are in time for development is a key part of how we roll out water infrastructure,” he said. Mr Punch said he would have been more interested in the discussion if the Opposition were more “collaborative” in its approach. Instead he called the discussion in Parliament little more than a “litany” of individual electorate concerns which could be addressed individually instead of taking up debate time. Mr Punch said the State Government had committed $2.2 billion to water, wastewater and drainage projects across WA.