The Queensland State government are looking at removing the mandatory inclusion of rain water tanks for new built homes from State legislation. Have they forgotten about the six year drought (2001 – 2007) that we have just endured, where dam levels were at record lows? The mandatory inclusion of rain water tanks for new homes was introduced to lessen the community’s dependence on state controlled water supplies; obviously this government has not learnt from the past and therefore doomed to repeat their mistakes.
In my opinion this is a backward step from a government trying hard to appease business interest groups hoping to maintain the momentum that carried them through the election. If the Queensland government is serious about assisting the building industry while maintaining environmental interests they need to focus on reducing taxes and red tape within the industry. Initiatives that were set up by past governments to work towards a more sustainable future need to be left alone and not targeted for ease of execution and the path of less resistance. The easy options are rarely the right ones.
