Tuesday, 4 March 2025

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:22): Most Victorians do not think much about where their water goes, but each time you have a shower, flush the toilet or wash the dishes, water flows out of houses and into the sewerage network. With innovative techniques, our public water providers are turning waste into valuable resources, saving Victorians money with cheaper bills and protecting our precious drinking water. Werribee’s Western Treatment Plant is a world leader in environmentally friendly wastewater treatment. It was a pleasure to join the brand new member for Werribee John Lister to see the plant firsthand. Generating its own renewable energy, this self-sustaining plant is one way we can keep water services sustainable, reliable and affordable. This innovative facility doubles as a working farm and internationally recognised bird habitat. With more than 300 bird species recorded at the plant, it provides a vital refuge for some of the world’s rarest bird and frog species. I also visited the Barwon Water Black Rock facility at Connewarre to see how water is being recycled to be used instead of our precious drinking water. From firefighting to watering parks, sportsgrounds and crops, recycled water can be used to wash our clothes, wash cars and water our gardens, ensuring drinking water can be saved for just that: drinking. With the leftover waste turned into nutrient-rich fertiliser or even carbon-dense biochar to make batteries, our publicly owned water providers are innovative and are absolutely at the forefront of sustainability. They will keep our water affordable and reliable for Victorians.