Thursday, 24 March 2022

Ministers statements: water security

Ms NEVILLE (Bellarine—Minister for Water, Minister for Police) (14:15): I want to update the house on the work that we have been doing in upgrading our system to ensure greater water security but also to create jobs across the state in construction and ongoing. Members will of course be aware of some of our large projects: the Connections Project, 433 gigalitres saved through that program, 439 ongoing jobs as a result—a project that was left in complete disarray when we came to government; the $45 million Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigation project, 1000 jobs and major water savings and quality of water for irrigators; the $60 million stage 2 Macalister modernisation, creating 250 jobs; the Mitiamo pipeline, $29 million, creating 170 jobs and a new growth area; the south-west Loddon pipeline, helping 1500 properties—a project, I must say, that would never, ever have happened if it was not for the Labor government; and the western irrigation network, $112 million, and I know the member for Melton is very supportive of this, creating 40 jobs but also supporting recycled water for irrigators to grow their business.

We have also invested $22 million in water projects that are focused on stormwater and recycled water projects. These are already saving in excess of 1 billion litres of drinking water every year, and 18.3 billion litres of recycled water are going to high-value agriculture. These projects are creating hundreds of jobs and growing the agriculture industry. They are critical also to restoring our waterways in many places like the Bendigo Creek restoration—projects right across the state. We all remember the Office of Living Victoria, which was all about recycled water and stormwater re-use. Well, it did not deliver a project, just some jobs for the former minister’s mates.