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Rising Water Bills Hurt PensionersThe Brumby Government must commit more funding to the Gippsland Water Factory to ease the burden upon Gippsland ratepayers, particularly pensioners and families. By Russell Northe - 10th December 2009 - Back to News Russell Northe, who yesterday met with pensioners concerned about the effects of skyrocketing water prices.
"Families and pensioners in the Latrobe Valley are being slugged with massive water bills because the Brumby Government has failed to adequately invest in the Gippsland Water Factory," Mr Northe said.
"The Brumby Government must contribute more to this valuable project to help ease the ridiculous costs that have been put on local ratepayers.
"Water rates have increased by 26 per cent in the last year alone, but there has been an increase of just 14.8 per cent in the water and sewerage concession.
The meeting with Latrobe Valley pensioner groups comes just one week after Mr Northe raised the issue in Parliament.
"The Brumby Government is putting the lion’s share of the bill for the Gippsland Water Factory back on the region," Mr Northe said.
"One example provided to my office demonstrated that some pensioners, even with the water rebate, are paying 63 per cent more for water than they were two years ago.
"Local ratepayers are footing the bill for the Brumby Government’s mistakes, despite the fact the government has reaped $3.5 billion in water dividends from environmental levies over the past 10 years."
Mr Northe said while the value of the Gippsland Water Factory was not in dispute, the Brumby Government’s management of the project had been appalling.
"Water Minister Tim Holding has hired private consultants Deloitte to look into the cost blow-outs," Mr Northe said.
"The Minister recently indicated to me that he would not make the review publicly available.
"He said until the review was complete it was ‘not possible to make a judgement about which parts, if any, will be publicly released’.
"The Minister’s unwillingness to allow Gippsland residents access to the document has to make you wonder what he’s hiding."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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