Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to speak in relation to the Gunnamatta outfall in my electorate. This is an outfall which sees 150 billion litres of partially treated sewage dumped off the coast every year. Four hundred million litres of partially treated sewage is dumped off the coast at one of Australia’s great surf beaches every day. Seventeen million litres of partially treated sewage on average is dumped every hour, every day, every year. What we see here are two things, the first of which is a vile pollution of our coasts. In the 21st century we are using a 19th century approach which pollutes our coasts, wastes water and dumps it off the coast. That is unacceptable. Secondly, this is a monumental waste of a valuable resource, water, which could be recycled for industry and agriculture.

Against that background I am delighted to say that the Victorian EPA has finally given the go-ahead for an upgrade to the Eastern Treatment Plant. That is a fantastic result for the Mornington Peninsula which should see class A water discharged at Gunnamatta within the next 18 months. That is part 1 of the two-part process, the first part of which is to clean up this water to make sure that the coast is dramatically improved. That is a great step forward. It is a huge victory for the Clean Ocean Foundation. It is what as a peninsula, as a community, as a group of people, we have argued for. I congratulate the surfing associations, the Clean Ocean Foundation, the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and the general community of the Mornington Peninsula. They have all worked towards this moment. Gunnamatta is on its way to being cleaned up.

The next step, however, is very simple. There must be uses found so that this water is not wasted and discharged off the coast—so that this water, which will be cleaned up, is reused for industry and agriculture. This could include recharge of the aquifers in Boneo on the southern peninsula. If we can recharge the aquifers we can work to ensure that the salt infiltration, which is currently threatening parts of the aquifer system, does not occur. If we can recharge it, that is the perfect vehicle for using that water for local industry and, in particular, local agriculture throughout the Boneo region. That is the step forward which must now occur. The first step of cleaning up the outfall is underway. I am delighted and proud to see that we as a peninsula have been successful and I pay tribute to the work of the Clean Ocean Foundation. We must now push the state to ensure that this water is recycled for industry and agriculture, to take the pressure off using our drinking water, which should not be used for those purposes where recycled water is available. We must also ensure that there is a long-term health management plan for the southern peninsula’s aquifers.

Against that background, I also want to make reference to one other group on the southern peninsula and that is the Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group. Helen Howells, Chair of the Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group, has approached me. She has asked that I table a petition, with 117 signatories, calling for a federal human rights act. I am happy to do that. I made that pledge to Helen and I now so do. I present this petition from 117 different representatives, two-thirds of whom, I am advised, are from the Mornington Peninsula. I thank the House.