By Diet Simon
Photo by Rob Baillie
Since a semi-governmental authority took control of retailing water in southeast Queensland on 1 July, thousands of people have been shocked by their latest water bills.
Like others across the state, Unitywater has been forced on us by the Anna Bligh Labor government which, polls show, would be pitched out if there were elections now.
Government figures project a fourfold increase in the price of water by 2017.
That will presumably not hurt the wealthy people concentrated here but, like many other imposts, it will price ordinary battlers out of the area. (See http://www.noosacommunityradio.org/the-coast-has-a-serious-housing-problem/)
Unitywater controls sales in the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Shire areas, which used to have six separate councils until local governments were forced to amalgamate by Labor, another hugely unpopular impost which has increased the cost of living substantially.
The Noosa MP in the state parliament, Glen Elmes, of the Liberal-National Party opposition, has received hundreds of complaints about water bills and calls for his help.
So he organised a public meeting in Noosa Junction on 7 September. About 150 people attended, wanting answers from the Unitywater CEO, Jon Black, who had brought along a group of his customer service staff to address individual cases.
My colleague Robert Baillie and I went along for Noosa Community Radio to record the meeting for a broadcast on 8 September.
Glen Elmes opened proceedings by offering to keep people informed and by explaining some background.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/Gwc7UVd2/20100907-water-glen-elmes.html Runs 7’41”
Jon Black began his presentation by explaining how his authority was set up and the various other bodies that now control water.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/FcAYEHbs/20100907-water-jon-black-refor.html Runs 5’30”
Jon Black continues his explanation of how the water business now works in our area and Moreton Shire.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/ZfRJR1Dv/20100907-water-jon-black-refor.html Runs 5’46”
Jon Black explains the commercial orientation of the Unitywater board, and takes the first question, which is about penalty rates for excessive water consumption. Glen Elmes pledges that Council would regain control of water if his conservative LNP won power. The next scheduled election is at least one and a half years away.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/-Y7MaQUA/20100907-water-jon-black-1st-q.html Runs 6’52”
A questioner criticises previous Council procedures and demands accurate meter readings from now on.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/uu4L5z-y/20100907-water-2nd-question.html Runs 6’57”
One customer’s water usage here is four times as high as for her same household in Melbourne, although her Coast dwelling was only used for holidays.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/y4RpW2OM/20100907-water-3rd-question.html Runs 2’49”
A woman who chairs a body corporate objects to carte blanche billing instead of accurate separate metering of units.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/G0n4n_YT/20100907-water-4th-question.html Runs 3’08”
A family man charges that two-tier billing is immoral and unfairly hits large families. CEO Black says Unitywater makes only “a skinny bit of profit”.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/ec3FC5Sr/20100907-water-5th-question.html Runs 3’53”
A man accuses Jon Black of “a lot of waffle” which made no sense to him. He asks how Unitywater intends to lower costs.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/Syc5lmt9/20100907-water-6th-question.html Runs 5’20”
State MP Glen Elmes cites The Pirates rugby league club as an example of how community organisations that used to get more or less a free ride from Council are now being slammed with horror bills.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/l2SKVgEM/20100907-water-7th-question.html Runs 4’14”
A resident asks whether people with their own water supplies and septic disposal systems would be forced to connect to the Unitywater grids.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/n9zv2rky/20100907-water-8th-question.html Runs 5’20”
Glen Elmes is sure that after the next state election we will get our own Noosa council back. Addressing a concern widespread among Coast people that water is only to be sucked from here to Brisbane and there being no provision for pumping any up to us should we need it, Jon Black says pumps have been installed in the northern connector pipeline to pump water north to give us water security.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/mrDFNYCK/20100907-water-9th-question.html Runs 4’36”
Wrapping up, Glen Elmes refers to a similar public meeting the previous evening (6th Sept) in Kawana where, by all accounts, Jon Black got a fiery, very hostile reception. Both gatherings unanimously passed three resolutions which will be tabled in the state parliament.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/Ll6NY5ox/20100907-water-10th-question.html Runs 2’44”
Noosa Community Radio had two recent interviews about the issue on our website, one with Jon Black at http://www.noosacommunityradio.org/unitywater-chief-claims-no-systemic-i..., the other with Councillor Debbie Blumel, who spearheads a campaign to start a cooperatively owned community water company based on collective roof rain harvesting, at http://www.noosacommunityradio.org/councillor-%e2%80%9clet%e2%80%99s-sta....
Pictures are at
http://www.4shared.com/account/dir/YVpbJfQy/sharing.html?sId=BfKrMCvqgON...
Scroll down to them. Place them at your discretion.
As they appear there, left to right:
http://www.4shared.com/photo/MOHFWhU2/Water_meeting_1.html
Unitywater CEO, Jon Black (in front, with microphone) addressing about 150 people who have issues with their water bills at The J in Noosa Junction on 7 September.
http://www.4shared.com/photo/7QcfaCN6/Water_meeting_2.html
Unitywater CEO, Jon Black (in front, left) and Noosa MP, Glen Elmes (in front, right), the convenor, addressing about 150 people who have issues with their water bills at The J in Noosa Junction on 7 September. Glen Elmes promised that Noosa would regain its own council and control of water if his LNP won the next Queensland election.
http://www.4shared.com/photo/DUm-HU1I/Water_meeting_3.html
About 150 people attended a public meeting in Noosa Junction to hear explanations of controversial billing practices by Unitywater.
http://www.4shared.com/photo/a-43Lj0t/Water_meeting_4.html
Photographs by Rob Baillie
