Minister calls water concerns
Water Minister Bill Marmion has met with Keep Busselton Water Pure Group representatives this week and undertaken to write to Busselton Water to ask that the group’s concerns are taken on board.
Diana Michaels, Narelle Hopkins and Ray Galliers met the Minister in Perth on Tuesday following requests made on their behalf by Adele Farina and Troy Buswell.
The trio updated the Minister on their concerns about health, water quality and complaint handling.
Mrs Michaels said the community felt “disempowered” by being told to divert complaints to State Government departments and report health complaints through their GP with medical evidence.
Minister Marmion told the Times he felt it was important to meet with members of the group due to their ongoing concerns.
“The group expressed the view that Busselton Water could communicate better with customers impacted by discoloured water and provide clearer advice around their complaints process where health complaints were now being referred to health practitioners under the DoH protocol,” Minister Marmion said.
“As Minister for Water, it is my responsibility to ensure the community has a safe water supply and I encourage anyone who has concerns to contact their doctor for advice.
“I have undertaken to write to the Busselton Water Board and ask that they take these concerns on board.”
Mrs Michaels said she told the Minister “proper” water testing needed to be completed and the government needed to put adverts out describing what people should do to have complaints resolved.
“He said he would like to see results of water testing. If we want to get anything that was accurate we are going to have to do it ourselves,” she said.
In response to questions from the Times Minister Marmion said he was satisfied with Busselton Water’s water monitoring and testing regime which was agreed and reviewed annually under the terms of its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Health.
“These results are reported regularly and testing is undertaken by NATA accredited laboratories and an immediate response protocol is in place in the event of any non-compliance is discovered,” he said.
