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Summary of Victoriaʼs proposed Desalination Project.

Victoria has a significant water security problem, however desalination is a regressive short term band-aid solution that will perpetuate the problem that it is intended to solve! There are better alternatives.

The proposed WATER FACTORY is the largest infrastructure project in Victoria!s history that will have far reaching and dramatic effects for all of Australia, and indeed the world.
It will spoil a wild and magnificent heritage listed coastline via a factory the size of the MCG up to 20 metres high, and possibly a new gas-fired power station to power it!
It will threaten marine communities including that of the nearby Phillip Island Penguins, one of the nation’s most important and internationally recognised natural attractions.

The threat to the marine environment is largely due to;
• the discharge of 7000 litres of effluent per SECOND into the ocean comprising concentrated brine, heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as chlorine that all kill ecosystems.
• sucking in and killing 300 000 small organisms per SECOND; the base of the food chain, with obvious flow on effects to fisheries, the adjacent marine national park, penguin reserve and RAMSAR wetland.

But MOST importantly, it will be a CLIMATE CHANGE NIGHTMARE. The proposed plant will produce up to a massive 1 000 000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. While there are environmentally friendlier alternatives, this is absolutely irresponsible and incongruous with recent federal government commitments to reducing emissions by 60% by 2050!

Ironically, it is carbon emissions that increase climate change that reduce rainfall that is driving Government’s misguided decision to pursue desalination, resulting in this lunatic and irresponsible vicious cycle.

Internationally and at home, independent water and environment experts unanimously agree that desalination must be a last resort. Unfortunately, Victoriaʼs state government is placing this last resort first without due explanation.

They appear to be ignoring three key issues;
• Melbourne allows over 600 Gl of storm and treated water to run into our bays and oceans every year. The proposed plant will suck just one quarter of this back again, at massive economic & environmental cost.
• Despite some improvements, Melbournians are still some of the greatest water users (wasters) in the world; consuming almost twice the water as the people of South-East Queensland and much of Europe.
• Victoria is one of the worldʼs greatest per capita contributors to climate change. State Governmentʼs justification for the factory is that;
• “we need a rainfall independent water source”, and
• “the power generation for the plant will be carbon neutral”. However analysis of Melbourne Waterʼs (runoff and usage figures) and CSIROʼs (predicted rainfall reduction)
statistics and reports clearly refutes that we need a “new” water source. Unlike other parts of the world such as the Middle East, Victoria does not have a current or forecast water volume problem, just a significant water management problem.
The generation of the “new” water via desalination will in fact just perpetuate the misuse of water, while being a climate change & marine disaster.
Where there are alternatives (as there certainly are in this case), offsetting carbon emissions through offsite green power production or through carbon credits is an irresponsible abuse of the goals of such schemes that aim to reduce necessary carbon emissions rather than being a justification for new (but avoidable) polluting industry.

FEDERAL government (Mr Garrett) has deemed the project a Controlled Action under the EPBC Act, however has ignored the effect it will have on climate change (despite a pre election “greenhouse trigger” promise) or on migratory species (eg. toothed whales). He has determined the pilot plant be excluded from the Controlled Action despite its scale. Mr Garrett took his advice from the project’s proponent (DSE), and has delegated back to the proponent the responsibility for the required environmental investigations!

STATE Government has agreed to perform an EES on the project, however have said;
• despite the EES, the project WILL proceed &
• work will start immediately, prior to EES completion and prior to a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
These comments clearly display this governmentʼs arrogant contempt and disregard for due & fair process, and the EES process. The EES is scoped to deliver a pre determined outcome.

We demand that;
• NO work, including that of a pilot plant, is commenced until the EES process is completed,
• The EES is via an independent panel with local representation and the ability for any person to contribute,
• The EES has terms of reference broadened to include;
★ an assessment of the effects that the project will have on climate change,
★ consideration of ALL alternatives to desalination on an economic and environmental basis and
★ social, amenity and coastal strategy planning impacts including site assessment.
The community has had NO meaningful consultation with government and we have been fed a trail of incomplete and misinformation. We have been given NO rational research driven or scientific explanation as to WHY government is pursuing desalination.

Due to the lack of consultation and lack of due diligence by governments failing to provide evidence based justification for this project, Your Water Your Say (YWYS) pursued legal action in the federal court in an attempt to include the pilot plant within the Controlled Action.
Unfortunately, in part due to an under resourced legal team and expert evidence deemed inadmissible on a technicality, YWYS lost the case. To the shock of most community and environment groups, both State and Federal Government successfully pursued YWYS for their court costs! This has the high probability of bankrupting the group and halting any involvement it may have in the EES or further “consultation”. It can only be assumed that Government is trying to silence any legitimate opposition.
This sends a stark warning to ANY community or environment group; to question dubious policy through the courts at your peril. The decision to pursue costs highlights the undemocratic arrogance of our Governments and the steps it will go to to crush opposition.

Until we receive adequate explanation for the decision to choose desalination as the prime response to securing Melbourneʼs water future, we can only assume the decision is due to;
• a knee-jerk panic reaction from government that has avoided the issues of water security until now,
• a desire to involve international big business in a huge engineering “solution” to an environmental problem, with massive economic benefit to government and multinational companies,
• a lack of due process in fully exploring the alternatives that are unequivocally promoted by all independent water and environment experts.

Desalination is a short sighted, irresponsible & unsustainable band aid solution for Victoria; it is WRONG.
Apart from the environmental tragedy, It is THE most expensive way to supply water; the end consumer will pay three to five times current water prices. The economic beneficiaries will be government and international business via the intended Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Through rain water tanks, regional storm water collection, recycled water for industry and continued improvements in water conservation, we have plenty of water for now and for the future.
Only after responsible alternatives have been fully pursued must desalination be considered, and then only as strategic top up supply near point of use.

We must stop the continued arrogance of this government that ignores due and fair process.

Contact:
www.yourwateryoursay.org
OR
Chris Heislers” 0419556381.