Improving water supplies in remote areas

8/12/06
A major review of water services in remote communities has recommended that a whole-of-government delivery of essential services is vital in addressing indigenous health issues in Western Australia.
Commissioned by the Water Resources Cabinet sub-committee, the report on Water Services in Discrete Indigenous Communities recommends that the Department of Water drive the policy and reform.
Water Resources Minister John Kobelke said there were challenges to face in improving the supply of drinking water and other essential services to remote communities in WA's arid areas.
"The Department of Water is barely a year old but it has already been recognised nationally for its strengths in leading water reform in this State," Mr Kobelke said.
"Any review into the supply of water services for remote indigenous communities requires the involvement of a number of agencies for a whole-of-government perspective.
"We cannot just look at water provision in isolation, especially when we are talking about the broader issues surrounding indigenous health, so the action plan is a way of mapping out what can be done across Federal, State and local governments.
"This is all part of our collective need to change the way we think about water use and supply in WA and, if successful, our approach may provide a template for other States and Territories to follow."
The Minister said the report provided an overview on how water services were currently administered to the communities, including funding arrangements, governance structures, agency roles and responsibilities, issues with the current service delivery model and actions recommended.
Other recommendations outlined in the report included:

• development of a sustainable water management plan for the Dampier Peninsular to reduce reliance on the numerous bores supplying small communities;
• assessment of the needs of mid to large-sized communities and the development of prioritised water source protection plans to suit; and
• consolidating and reviewing borehole data collected since 1997 and developing an effective system for ongoing data management.