Toowoomba Referendum

CITY STILL DIVIDED OVER WATER FUTURES AS POLLS NEAR CLOSE

With four hours to go before polls close, Toowoomba residents are continuing to vote on the council’s plan to recycle waste water to supplement the city’s water supply.

Rosemary Morley, the co-ordinator of the Citizens Against Drinking Sewerage (CADS) group was ready to cast her ballot, letting the media know in no uncertain terms how she plans to vote.

“There’s nowhere else in the world that’s doing it at this rate, and we’re not convinced about the safety of it, because there’s no long term study where society has done it at 29 – 40% sewerage,” she says.

But despite the polling booth at Centenary Heights State High School being a flurry of media activity due to the presence of many staunch “No” campaigners, members of the Green’s Party were still out in force.

Bede, a member of the party, reiterated the Green’s view that recycled water is important for the future sustainability of the state.

“We have to work towards a sustainable outcome, things like bores and that sort of thing leads to salinity, and it’s not a resource that’s unlimited,” he says.

He also said that he was unsure about Clive Berghofer’s motivation to back the “No” vote, and was less than impressed with some of tactics employed by their opposition.

“Clive Berghofer said in the Australian just this morning that he wouldn’t mind if it was any other city - if he hasn’t got a problem with any other city, than I don’t see why he has a problem with Toowoomba,

“And they resort to some dirty tactics, just yesterday they tried to get our “How to Vote” cards banned, the returning officers ruled them legal, because they’re all authorised, and they’re still complaining about it,” he said.

The polls close at 6:00pm.