ACT Electricity and Water called on Canberrans yesterday to voluntarily conserve water, saying that at present consumption rates compulsory restrictions would apply on Thursday.
Those restrictions would ban outside use of water on pain of a maximum $5000 fine for individuals or $25,000 for corporations.
They would be the first water restrictions in Canberra for more than 20 years.
The water shortage is being caused by bans by ACTEW engineers on the treating of water in protest at the ACT Government’s move to bring ACTEW under its Public Sector Management Bill.
The chief executive of ACTEW, Mike Sargeant, said there were only 650 megalitres in the 45 town reservoirs. In a week at current levels, Canberra would be down to its emergency supply in a week.
“”The restrictions were a question of mathematics, not politics,” he said.
The engineers, members of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia, have restricted treatment to 50 megalitres a day. Dr Sargeant said that on Saturday Canberrans consumed 120 megalitres.
“”Even at this time of year garden take 30 per cent of consumption,” he said.
Restrictions on outside use were easier to enforce. They had not been worked out precisely, but they would include all gardening water and car-washing. He hoped that the voluntary measures would help postpone compulsory restrictions. The reservoirs would be checked each day. ACTEW officers would consult the big commercial users, like Parliament and the big hotels.
The president of the ACT branch of APESMA, Col Miller, said the bans would stay until the Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, agreed to meet on the issue of the Public Sector management Bill.
The Minister for Urban Services and Deputy Chief Minister, David Lamont, said the bans were unnecessary. The matter would be resolved in the Assembly this week.
“”The Assembly should not be held to ransom like this,” he said.
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tony De Domenico, said the ACT Government had had three years to establish the separate ACT public service and it had known all along there would be concerns like those of the ACTEW engineers.
“”Best practice all over the world says utilities should be left to compete and should not be manacled by the restraints of a centralised system,” he said.
On Friday, Commissioner Holmes recommended the bans be lifted and that the union meet the appropriate ACT Minister. He said he was constrained by the fact that the issue was being dealt with legislatively.
Mr Miller said the bans were starting to cost the ACT Government, “”but this is tea money compared to what is stake over the next five years if ACTEW becomes uncompetitive by coming under the centralised system.”
The engineers had agreed that the bans would not affect health, safety or public assets. He welcomed the support given by other unions under the Trades and Labour Council umbrella.
APESMA wanted to work with the Government to make ACTEW an efficient organisation. It was the ACT Government’s biggest and at a float would raise between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion.
Dr Sargeant said the bans would cost as much as $100,000 week in lost revenue and extra costs in moving water about through the system.
Ms Follett confirmed her view yesterdy that ACTEW should come under the Public Sector Management Bill which provides service-wide employment, promotion and discipline procedures. She argued that these would protect ACTEW employees.
Assembly sources suggest, however, that amendments will be passed to keept ACTEW, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Legal Aid Commission out. It is also likely that the Bill will not pass by July 1 because the fate of the complementary Federal law (including the House’s view of a Senate amendment) cannot be known until June 27, not leaving enough time for the Assembly to debate the implications of that.
It may be that the Assembly will adjourn it to the spring sitting, with a target of October 1.