Qld: Water restrictions will cost jobs: Libs

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2007
Qld: Water restrictions will cost jobs: Libs

By Evan Schwarten

BRISBANE, Feb 16 AAP - Moving to level five water restrictions in Queensland's south-east
corner will cost jobs and ruin business, Liberal leader Dr Bruce Flegg says.

Dr Flegg has called on the Queensland Water Commission to publicly announce details
of the new level of restrictions, expected to be imposed in March or April, to give business
time to prepare.

He said landscaping businesses, nurseries and those involved in swimming pool installations
were under threat.

"There will be businesses going to the wall, there will be hundreds of job losses,"

Dr Flegg said.

"We need to give business a chance to minimise the impact.

"Clearly anyone who's in landscaping, swimming pools or nurseries is under very serious
threat of losing their business and certainly losing their jobs."

He accused the water commission and the state government of "playing games" by not
publicly announcing what the level five restrictions would entail.

"It is disgraceful, it's not just businesses, not just employees, but the elderly,
the sick, the frail - who need to know to make decisions around their home - (they) are
being deprived of this information," Dr Flegg said.

"Either it's a deliberate ploy to keep the bad news (from emerging) as long as possible
in case it rains, or it's incompetence because if after 18 months you haven't decided
what level five restrictions are, you shouldn't be in the business."

South-east Queensland moved to level four restrictions, which includes a ban on outdoor
hosing, in November and level five restrictions are expected to be implemented once Wivenhoe
Dam falls below 20 per cent capacity.

AAP ews/pjo/imc/bwl

KEYWORD: WATER QLD FLEGG

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