We need to heed Water Taskforce

IN THE minds of Townsville residents long- term water security is still one of their major concerns.

Our city cannot grow and prosper without it.

Politicians cannot win elections without committing to fixing it.

Unfortunately, to understand the range of potential solutions and their impact requires a lot of research and time few of us have.

The today has explained each of the current projects or proposed projects relating to water.

The State Government funded Stage 1 of the Haughton Pipeline Duplication and Townsville City Council is well on its way to delivering this essential project.

Once delivered in 2019, it will have been a massive win for the community.

However, the work doesn’t end with that project.

In coming weeks, the Townsville Water Taskforce will release its final report, which will deliver further recommendations on medium to longterm water security.

It is highly likely that report will recommend immediate funding is needed to complete stage two of the Haughton Pipeline project.

The timing of this release is crucial because it comes ahead of an upcoming federal election in which Herbert will be one of the key seats.

Federal Labor and the sitting member Cathy O’Toole have already pledged water security funding pending the task force’s recommendations.

The new Prime Minister Scott Morrison hasn’t expressed any interest in that though the LNP Herbert candidate Phillip Thompson is well briefed and highly likely to push his party to match or double that commitment.

Different groups with different agendas in Townsville are at present pushing a variety of potential election priorities.

As a city we need to come to an agreement on our top three priorities for this election campaign and we need to consistently deliver that message to any visiting politician in the coming months.

Any deviation from that strategy will ultimately lead to our city missing out on commitments that will make a difference to our immediate future.

It is the view that the taskforce’s recommendation should be front and centre of that wishlist.

It’s achievable, deliverable and must be a priority for the city.