Celebrity gardener to front city’s water- wise campaign Durie duty call- up
CELEBRITY gardener Jamie Durie has been signed up as the face of a $ 10 million campaign to get Townsville residents to cut their water use.
Townsville City Council’s campaign had been funded through the State Government’s $ 225 budget commitment to obtaining water security for Townsville.
The scheme, known as the Community Water Transition Support Package, will in- clude financial incentives for residents taking water- saving measures such as installing water- efficient gardens and irrigation systems, dual- flush cisterns and pool covers.
Details for the campaign, due to start later this year, are yet to be finalised but Mayor Jenny Hill said it was inspired by water- saving measures used in Brisbane during the drought in the mid- 2000s.
“As of next week people will be able to move from … purchasing a set allocation to going toward user- pays if they wish,” she said.
“That’s always been available to residents but obvious- ly when you’re in a drought, some people think it’s a much better option.
“The idea of the $ 10 million is for us firstly to educate and then to provide funding that will allow people to understand how they can manage their water better.”
Premier Annnastacia Palaszczuk said the campaign delivered on a key recommendation of the Townsville Water Security Taskforce interim report.
“We have already committed $ 225 million for water security measures for Townsville,” she said. “However, we know new techno- logies and better awareness mean we can make the water supply we have go further and better enhance our response to the Townsville Water Security Taskforce Report.
“I know Townsville residents already understand the importance of being waterwise and they have proven this by their average daily use for the year never going above the water restriction target of 100 megalitres.
“This is about letting the community know about measures and approaches to water they may not have previously considered and encouraging the community to adopt those measures.” Durie’s appointment comes after the council flew him to Townsville earlier, where he worked with the Pure Projects team to plan better green spaces for the city.
Durie met with councillors, local experts and water authorities in Townsville in the first of a series of about 10 workshops to develop a program relating to water- efficient gardens and streetscapes.
“This is not about sacrifice, this is actually about inspiring people to have a whole new look at the way they treat their gardens,” he said.