Water: Making Every Drop Count

Over the next four years, a re-elected Bracks Labor Government will:

DELIVER OUR WATER OUR FUTURE PLAN
- Secure water supplies for the next 50 years with 167,000 megalitres of extra water by 2015 for Melbourne and provide extra water for Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Westernport, and the Latrobe Valley and protect our rivers and groundwater.
- Develop 50 year Sustainable Water Strategies setting out water supply projects and river health improvements for Northern Victoria, Wimmera and Glenelg, Gippsland and the South West.

BOOST WATER EFFICIENCY AT HOME
- Provide a $1000 rebate for large water tanks connected to the toilet and laundry.
- Require all homes to have 3 star showerheads and dual flush toilets before the home is sold, to be phased in by the end of 2008.
- Extend the water rebates program for four more years with a further $10 million to help people buy water saving devices for the home and garden, such as mulch and grey water systems.
- Increase the rebate for home water audits to $50 and train more plumbers to install and service grey water reuse systems.
- Help households switch to more water efficient appliances including washing machines and evaporative air conditioners through water authorities from 2008.
- Provide 180,000 3 star water-efficient showerheads in the next three years.

HELP INDUSTRIES, FARMS AND COMMUNITIES SAVE WATER
- Set a target for industry in Melbourne and regional cities to reduce water use by 10% over the next ten years.
- Work with Victoria’s top 1500 industrial and business water users to identify water saving measures in a $1 million initiative in partnership with industry groups.
- Explore alternative pricing options for industry to include incentives for recycling, re-use and water conservation.
- Reduce leaks in the water distribution system to save 2,500 megalitres by 2015.
- Continue the Water Smart Farms initiative with $10 million of new funding to help farmers improve water efficiency in their on-farm operations.
- Create a $20 million Small Towns Water Quality Fund to help small towns to improve water quality and monitor, maintain and upgrade septic tanks.
- Support small towns in dry areas to make their sports grounds more efficient and help keep pools open for summer.
- Require new Government major projects to be water efficient.

RECYCLE MORE WATER
- Proceed with the $300 million upgrade to the Eastern Treatment Plant to treat wastewater to Class A standard so that it can be used for industry, new housing estates and agriculture.
- Invest $18.5 million to complete the business case for the Eastern Water Recycling Proposal that would free up the equivalent of one quarter of Melbourne’s drinking water now used by power stations and industry. (To achieve this, recycled water would be pumped to the Latrobe Valley instead of out to sea at Gunnamatta).
- Recycle water in new residential developments with third-pipe systems in Epping North, West Werribee, Cranbourne East to meet our 20% recycling target by 2010.
- Investigate a major new industrial recycling program in Altona which could free up over 5 billion litres of drinking water.

SAVE STORMWATER AND REPAIR OUR RIVERS
- Provide $10 million for local water recycling and stormwater projects.
- Accelerate septic tank replacement, upgrade the northern sewer and improve pollution monitoring in the Yarra River.
- Improve water quality and wildlife habitat along the urbanised lower sections of the Yarra River by re-establishing billabongs, creating new recreational spaces and revegetation.
- Continue the Environmental Contribution from water authorities. This is contributing $100 million to protecting and repairing rivers across the State.
- Ensure that the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy assesses the environmental and water security needs of the northern region.