BARRABA WATER SUPPLY

Media Releases - Kevin Anderson Media Release

Hansard Friday 27th May, 2011

Mr KEVIN ANDERSON (Tamworth) [3.55 p.m.]: I raise a very important issue to an important town in my electorate of Tamworth, the town of Barraba.

Barraba is a vibrant and thriving community situated 45 kilometres north of Manilla and, as the crow flies, about 91 kilometres north of Tamworth, which is a major regional centre in northern New South Wales. Barraba is a hidden gem of the New England north-west and part of the well-known Fossickers Way. It is well known for its fantastic fishing, water sport locations and recreational areas. The township has approximately 1,160 people, and it has a wonderful community that is very active and passionate about its town. So much so that an issue that has been on the books for quite some time is the supply of clean, fresh running water. This community has battled unsuccessfully for years to get clean running water. I cannot believe that in this day and age—2011—a town such as Barraba, which is so close to the major centres of Tamworth and Manilla, does not have clean, fresh running water.

The problem here has been the previous Labor Government. Although the residents of Barraba had cried out for assistance over many years, the previous Labor Government decided to put the town through an arduous process of bore testing and it subsequently put the town on bore water. It was unbelievably difficult for the people of Barraba to accept this decision. Time and again they have been forced to replace kettles, washing machines, taps, showers and hot water urns because of the hardness of the non-potable water coming out of the bores. The local hospital has used a hot water urn. Not long after running the bore water through the urn, the hospital has to throw the urn away. The water smells when it comes out of the tap, and it is discoloured. People have been unable to shower. It has been a most unsavoury situation.

Over many years, the Coalition in opposition fought hard for a clean, fresh running water supply from Split Rock Dam, which is not far from Barraba. It is necessary to open up that dam and put in a pipeline to the township of Barraba to supply it with clean, fresh running water. I have great pleasure in announcing to the House today that council has approved the Split Rock Dam to Barraba pipeline feasibility study. The final report was presented to council just this week. I commend the Barraba community development committee, headed by a very passionate community man, Danny Ballard, who has led the fight on this as well.

Tamworth Regional Council has committed to providing one-third of the funding for the pipeline. The Coalition's commitment given during the election campaign was to also provide one-third of the funding for the pipeline, or $6.75 billion, to give the Barraba community clean, fresh running water. Our commitment is rock solid: it is there, ready to go. Council is ready to go. With the approval of the feasibility study to go ahead and build this pipeline, we now wait to see the outcome from the Federal Government. Tamworth Regional Council will now pursue the Federal Government, via the local Federal member, Tony Windsor, to come up with the final third portion of the funding. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $19.66 million. A vibrant town like Barraba is ready to go. It is bursting at the seams, with economic development and regional growth. It has so much to offer, but it has been held back through the lack of clean, fresh running water.

I commend to the House the great work of the Barraba Community Development Committee, Tamworth Regional Council and the Coalition Government for getting this far. We now call on the Federal Government for its portion. Let us build this pipeline. Let us give Barraba the clean, fresh running water that it has deserved for so many years. I hope this problem is fixed quickly so Barraba can experience the regional economic development that it deserves.