Minister petitioned on water supply upgrade for Boorowa

A petition to upgrade Boorowa's water supply has been delivered to the NSW Water Minister, Rose Jackson. Local Member, Steph Cooke, raised the need to improve water supplies for Boorowa and Bribbaree with Minister Jackson, last week and included the Boorowa petition in her correspondence. The petition was organised recently by Boorowa resident, Angus Mitchell, on behalf of the community. "I was pleased to be able to represent the more than 400 voices who put their names to the petition calling on Water Minister Rose Jackson to take urgent action on fixing Boorowa's water quality and supply problems," Ms Cooke said. "As their local representative, I'm committed to ensuring the concerns of the Boorowa community are given a proper hearing on Macquarie Street, and it is now up to the Minister to acknowledge the work of locals, including petition organiser, Angus Mitchell, and make finding a solution to this issue one of her top priorities. "This community has endured poor water quality for long enough, and with drought conditions looming, it is now more important than ever that the NSW Government finds a long-term fix to this enduring problem." Ms Cooke said she is putting the NSW State Government on notice when it comes to cutting funding for vital water infrastructure in the forthcoming state budget. Set up by the previous Liberal/Nationals Government, Ms Cooke said it is imperative the NSW Labor Government honours previous funding allocations made under the Safe and Secure Water Program, while also committing to further investments going forward. "I am increasingly concerned about the lack of commitment shown by the Government to this vitally important and hugely successful investment program," Ms Cooke said. "The Safe and Secure Water Program is fundamental to delivering quality water services and supply to communities in regional NSW, and I have written to the Water Minister to caution against diverting funding into areas other than water infrastructure," she said. In the letter, Ms Cooke highlighted examples within the Cootamundra electorate, of towns and villages in need of funding under the Safe and Secure Water Program. "Residents in the township of Boorowa are in desperate need of a permanent solution to their water quality and supply issues. "While in Bribbaree, residents are reliant on bore water, which landholders are responsible for pumping. "As drought conditions loom, now is not the time to remove funding opportunities that have previously bolstered our water outcomes. "We simply cannot afford to see the Safe and Secure Water Program taken away." Ms Cooke said. Petition organiser Angus Mitchell said Boorowa has been attempting to acquire water quality and security for the community for many years. "Many people have approached state and federal politicians of different persuasions, to seek their help in securing water for our town," Mr Mitchell said. "Our council has also attempted to progress this issue over many years but to no avail. "My latest approach has involved a letter to our Federal Minister, Tanya Plibersek, who advised that state governments had been provided with funding for regional water security and to contact the state government. "The state minister for water, Rose Jackson, was approached by letter to consider our plight and considering her statement on the media, that regional towns and people are entitled to have water. "Basically, the response was to approach our local member Steph Cooke, who happens to be the Shadow Minister for Water. "A petition was gathered from the people of Boorowa, where it was my intention to present this petition to Rose Jackson, in person and to further outline our water issues. Contact was made with Rose Jackson's office, to try and arrange a meeting. This request was met with silence. "The petition was then dropped into Steph Cooke's office, and I have been advised Steph has presented the petition to Rosemary Jackson. The next step will be to contact various media outlets in an attempt to progress our water concerns. "Interesting to also note that Angus Taylor recently issued a letter to the residents of Boorowa and outlined that he 'now' has concerns regarding our water issues. It was only 18 months ago he advised that Boorowa would not receive funding for water as the return on the investment is not there," he said.