What’s the plan, Peter?

Councils’ blunt message to Gutwein on TasWater takeover talk

TREASURER Peter Gutwein must lay all his cards on the table if councils are to consider working with him on a government takeover of TasWater, says the Local Government Association of Tasmania.

“Councils have to form an opinion on this,” LGAT president Doug Chipman said.

“We need to get some form of concrete proposal.

“We would like to see how he thinks it [a takeover] can speed up TasWater’s plan; we believe it is going as fast as humanely possible.”

TasWater chairman Miles Hampton said it was time Mr Gutwein, who is also Local Government Minister, stopped using the company as a “political football” and let it get on with its plan to fix water and sewerage infrastructure in Tasmania.

The state’s councils held an emergency phone link-up yesterday after Mr Gutwein flagged a possible State Government takeover of TasWater.

At the meeting it was agreed that LGAT would take the lead in responding to Mr Gutwein’s announcement of the possible takeover.

Mr Chipman said he had written to Mr Gutwein outlining the position of councils.

He said their position was: THEY don’t believe there is a water crisis. COUNCILS would like to work with the State Government to ensure water and sewerage systems and services in Tasmania meet the needs of all communities. MR GUTWEIN was yet to provide sufficient detail about his model for TasWater for councils to develop a considered response.

Mr Hampton also called on Mr Gutwein to disclose his plan for the company.

“If the Treasurer has a plan, I would like to see it,” Mr Hampton said.

“The Treasurer also says he can solve Tasmania’s water and sewerage challenges in five years or less by leveraging the state’s balance sheet, in other words by running even greater debt now for others to pay later. Money is only one aspect of delivering real projects on the ground. If the Treasurer has a plan, we would all like to see it.”

Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman said it was vital the state’s water and sewerage infrastructure was fixed.

“These options are now being considered and it’s about time,” Mr Hodgman said.

“We’ve got to a point where there are 25 towns on boiled water alerts and that affects our brand, it affects our visitor economy and it affects the lives of people who live in those places.”

State Opposition leader Bryan Green said councils were not enamoured with Mr Gutwein’s potential plans.

“There’s no doubt when you talk to representatives of councils they are annoyed at the way this government is treating them,” Mr Green said.

Greens water spokeswoman Andrea Dawkins said Mr Gutwein was desperately trying to pick a fight with councils over TasWater.