The Hodgman Liberal Government has outlined a clear plan to fix Tasmania's failing water and sewerage infrastructure and provide the services that Tasmanians deserve.
The current situation is not acceptable and it’s not fair for ratepayers and those Tasmanians enduring third world water and sewerage services.
Tasmania prides itself on being a world class destination, it is part of brand Tasmania, and yet we have 25 towns on boil water or do not consume alerts, sewage spills seven times over the national average, and only one of 78 sewage treatment plants fully compliant with Environmental Protection Authority standards.
Clean water and reliable sewerage services are important for public health, quality of lifestyle, our tourism industry, our food and produce brand and our economy.
Tasmanian producers, like Spreyton Cider where we visited today, rely on clean, safe water and we need to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to support businesses like this.
Under the current schedule, Tasmanians will have to pay more for inadequate services and infrastructure, and this is simply unacceptable.
TasWater is owned by 29 separate councils and they have had nearly a decade to fix these significant failings. It simply isn’t fair to expect Tasmanians to wait another decade.
That’s why the Government is proposing a new model, where the State Government takes responsibility and control of TasWater and fixes the problem faster and cheaper for customers.
Price rises will be cut from 5% to no more than 3.5%, council returns will be guaranteed until 2024-25 and there will be no need for councils to increase rates – it’s fair for everybody.
The Tasmanian Government is acting decisively in the best interests of all Tasmanians.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water