Minutes from last week’s LGAT meeting reveal that local councils were advised that the Government’s TasWater takeover would be cheaper for customers and fix the system quicker.
The document states that “…it seemed there might be some value in the change of ownership proposition, with many of Local Government’s key concerns seeming to be addressed; with the added bonus of an end to the election cycle TasWater politics and no further ability to blame Local Government for any perceived failure.”
It then goes on to say that the Government can cap prices, as proposed, and the TasWater balance sheet could work harder to fix the problems in water and sewerage infrastructure.
This completely contradicts claims repeatedly made by councils that the Government's plan isn't required and can't work.
While I understand that some councils would like us to inject additional funds into TasWater while they retain control, our very strong view is that our Plan will only work under our ownership, not that of 29 separate owners.
The fact is, our TasWater takeover is the best way to reduce bills, improve services and fix the infrastructure – the Government knows it, businesses know it, the community knows it and, according to this document, the councils know it too.
The document is available here - https://t.co/zSEBrcTnlU