In South East Queensland, the cost of accessing mains water is more than double what people in Sydney pay

Description

ABC Radio Canberra, Canberra, AM, Sabra Lane 07 May 2018 8:23 AM

Duration: 3 mins 8 secs • ASR AUD 47,901 • National • Australia • Bond University - Radio & TV • ID: X00074528735

In South East Queensland, the cost of accessing mains water is more than double what people in Sydney pay. For residents on the Gold Coast, this is on top of usage charges that are higher than most other metropolitan areas. Linda Brown, Daycare owner, says water has been one of her biggest expenses. Victoria Baumfield, Assistant Law Professor, Bond University, has studied water cost in the region. She says South East Queensland residents pay at least $120 a year to connect to mains water. Baumfield says for most South East Queensland consumers, there is no bill relief in sight. She adds that South East Queensland's water debt is so large that it has been unable to make full loan repayments for the past decade. Baumfield says the Queensland Government's drought proofing ideas have plenty of merits but the cost blowouts on infrastructure ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Anthony Lynham, QLD Water Minister, declined to speak to the ABC. He said an independent regulator had investigated South East Queensland Water's costs and recommended fair and official prices from July of this year until 2021.

Audience

399,700 All, 193,000 MALE 16+, 198,700 FEMALE 16+

Interviewees

Linda Brown, Gold Coast daycare owner|Victoria Baumfield, Assistant Law Professor, Bond University

Also broadcast from the following 49 stations

ABC Alice Springs (Alice Springs), ABC Ballarat (Ballarat), ABC Broken Hill (Broken Hill), ABC Capricornia (Rockhampton), ABC Central Victoria (Bendigo), ABC Central West NSW (Orange), ABC Coffs Coast (Coffs Harbour), ABC Esperance (Esperance), ABC Eyre Peninsula and West Coast (Port Lincoln), ABC Far North (Cairns), ABC Gippsland (Sale), ABC Gold Coast (Gold Coast), ABC Goldfields WA (Kalgoorlie), ABC Goulburn Murray (Wodonga), ABC Great Southern (Albany), ABC Illawarra (Wollongong), ABC Kimberley (Broome), ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt (Geraldton), ABC Mildura - Swan Hill (Mildura), ABC New England North West (Tamworth), ABC Newcastle (Newcastle), ABC North and West SA (Port Pirie), ABC North Coast NSW (Lismore), ABC North Queensland (Townsville), ABC North West Qld (Mt Isa), ABC North West WA (Karratha), ABC Northern Tasmania (Launceston), ABC Radio Adelaide (Adelaide), ABC Radio Brisbane (Brisbane), ABC Radio Darwin (Darwin), ABC Radio Hobart (Hobart), ABC Radio Melbourne (Melbourne), ABC Radio Perth (Perth), ABC Radio Sydney (Sydney), ABC Riverina (Wagga Wagga), ABC Riverland SA (Renmark), ABC Shepparton (Shepparton), ABC South East NSW (Bega), ABC South East SA (Mt Gambier), ABC South West WA (Bunbury), ABC South Western Victoria (Warrnambool), ABC Southern Queensland (Toowoomba), ABC Sunshine Coast (Sunshine Coast), ABC Tropical North (Mackay), ABC Upper Hunter (Muswellbrook), ABC Western Plains NSW (Dubbo), ABC Western Queensland (Longreach), ABC Western Victoria (Horsham), ABC Wide Bay (Bundaberg)

Subject

Expert comment on SE Qld water costs