Sean Dillon, Gregory MP – Water security (1 October)

0:00Rural Queensland today, well we just spoke to the mayor of the Isaac Regional Council in Kelly VV and now joining us is the member for Gregory Sean Dillon. He understands more than anybody the need for water security in your town, in the bush, in the regions and what it has highlighted is that there has to be some action taken. Sean, good morning. Thank you for being with us. It's weird that we are at the first of October 2026 and this week we've seen a town come precariously close to having no water whatsoever because of pump failure in this instance. It was only a week ago that they were being touted as the number one water in Australia because of how good their water was and within a week they looked like they were going to run dry. Now that's been alleviated but it's to why that happened and how it can never happen again is the big questions. Good morning. Appreciate you coming on the show. Good morning Dillon. Yeah great to be with you.

1:00Obviously concerning climate for the residents of Clomon and people around there, they've had to have now and to separate, unrelated, good of year incidents but it has jeopardised their immediate short term water security or water availability. I should say that's obviously something that is far from ideal situation for either the local council or the state or anyone to see that but full credit to the hard working water team at Isaac Regional Council for getting that back operational as quickly as they could in both instances. We are surprised by this second incident happening. I mean you understand it and obviously you've been talking to the Isaac Mayor, Isaac Regional Council Mayor, you've been consultation. This is hard to point the finger at any one person because pump failure can happen but have two pumps go down in one instance, that to me and not a backup or contingent plan is the is the concerning part because I regardless of all of everything that's gone on, no one

2:05in Clomon deserves to not have water at all. Now I didn't get to that point but the warnings and the national warnings that went out around it have become very clear that there needs to be an overhaul of that system and the way water is delivered to the regions. Look I think every water system, water delivery system and particularly system across our town areas and different business owners that does from cattle station to cattle station and there's various forms of redundancy in systems. Sometimes if you look at the artesian basin systems in the west, it's pressure fed so whilst it's pumps supplemented, it's pressure fed so even when the pumps go down there's a spill of degree of water availability, a two pump system such as Isaacs usually has the inbuilt redundancy of one failure results in the other to have a catastrophic failure of both pumps is, you know, I mean it's not unheard of but it is unusual. It's very rare. Yeah it is and so you know certainly at times I think there is a need for supply and it

3:05is to look at alternative redundancy systems. There are instances where genuine bad luck, Murphy's law call it what you want can jeopardise things. The ability for large regional councils such as Isaacs to respond with both staff equipment and tankers from other treated locations within the council area certainly gives some I guess an emergency relief and well done to their ability to do that obviously really small communities and I mean micro communities in comparison to Clomont struggle to have that same redundancy ability but look I think that it difficult to say there's a blanket rule that needs to be implemented across council areas, the councils themselves understand their issues very precisely. There is and local governments back to it including my time in local government have been talking about the infrastructure cliff that's facing their sector when it comes to water reticulation distribution and also treatment and whilst I'm not stating that in this case

4:07it is an infrastructure cliff situation it is something that we are across the state very aware of and are working through with communities in the Gulf, in Wurveen, in the far south west councils one after another to not only identify but to help put in place alternatives or rectify situations that can challenge water security in the short to meet him too. And that's one of the big things. I mean you're rural, you get it, you've always had to look at your water and you watch it and anybody that's had rain water tanks, we've all been down that, we've all had to buy water at different stages, God forbid we've had to settle down water, it is very much real. I just can't get over that in some ways I don't want to blame anybody but is it of the Isaac council or is it the state government, you know because obviously we need to get treatment plants and we need to make sure that you know the infrastructure is right.

5:07Now talking with the mayor she said look the best ones are dyes are but we've really got some dramas that we haven't invested in water security for a while and these treatment plans are getting old, they're becoming archaic and there's dramas with them. Now unless they spend money which has to come from within that's going to be a huge cost to bore for a council. Now is it on the state government to look at this another thing that you guys have to look at like another thing that you have to help out with because of past, past leadership has not spent the money when it needed to be spent. Look I think we've clearly articulated that we consider ourselves equal partners in government that doesn't necessarily mean that we co fund every particular item and it doesn't mean that we don't supply more than 50% of funding at times for different alternatives. Areas that are business units of councils such a definitely something that they have the ultimate control over and determination of the

6:09style in which those business units operate and the cost recovery mechanism that fees and charges that return on depreciation all of those things and understand that large regional councils have a large number of these and that depreciation is a significant cost which our government is looking to implement strategies to assist councils with that. Ultimately the style and manner in which the upgrade replacement whatever it might be required that Isaac determine we can work with that the Department of Local Government and Water does that routinely in working with the needs analysis and and an options analysis. We think that sometimes the solutions across the state are way over in engineered driving the costs further north so we really appreciate good genuine local practical advice from people like the Water Cruelid Isaacs Regional Council to give us what's the best mostly reason to add a whole application of different engineering principles from consultants right across the state in what different communities need.

7:11We would value and have a demonstrated record of valuing at the Department of Local Government and Water and the state as a whole more direct specific advice from councils as to what the actual practical needs are. I'm not going to speak to as to who or how or what may be funded moving forward here but we obviously would follow the lead of what Isaacs think they need and and and respect that and see what we need to do to ensure that becomes a reality. Yeah no question about it just quickly. Announcement came you've you guys are developing your roads and those inland roads you're getting bitumen on it the last three case was done between I think Outran Clamont through there you guys are truly a commitment. The goal is obviously long term that there is more roads that a bitumen than there is dirt that's going to take some time but you guys are truly a word you're getting it done. So we are very solid that these roads need sealing how the beef roads corridors country road issues that we intend to see through

8:16to full-sealed roads where where the state has the ability for you know we want to bring people and family, home, state, ultimately road safety is our number one priority but of course capacity constraints, market act, 50 issues, the fatigue issues, for drivers, the animal welfare issues around Duff, the maintenance costs for small business operators all of them things factor into why we're sealing roads we understand the economic imperative but we the fundamental heart of this we want families, the home safe as soon as. Yeah and that's the big thing that's the big thing it's happening. Sean Dillon I really appreciate your time this morning thank you so much for being with us you guys are doing a great job and this water issue just another headache you didn't need but I appreciate your time this morning on rural coins end of thanks for being with us.