REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday, March 10, 2007

A SHOCK increase in the price of residential water left the southeast region’s mayors reeling and threatening a campaign against the Beattie Government.

Water Commissioner Elizabeth Nosworthy unveiled level 5 restrictions and a new water pricing structure that would see the price of residential water on the Gold Coast soar by 17 per cent by 2008 and a massive 147 per cent by 2012.

Although the commission had calculated the costs, the region’s furious mayors blamed the Beattie Government, which tried to backtrack with the promise to review pricing structures.

But the mayors were not appeased, continuing their attack until the Government retaliated with accusations the councils have been profiteering from water for years without putting any of the funds they made back into infrastructure.

Ms Nosworthy said the Water Commission had estimated the costs on the premise that it was supposed to recoup the entire $8 billion the Government is spending on new water infrastructure to deal with the drought.

The price for the average 250kl used a year would increase by a uniform $71 in 2008 across the southeast region, with the cost worked out by using Brisbane as a benchmark.

On the Gold Coast the average price of water would increase by 17 per cent from $410 to $481 in 2008-09.

The Water Commission had not estimated what the cost rise would be for the Gold Coast in the following years but it was expected to be similar to Brisbane, which was facing a 147 per cent increase.