Published in Monash Weekly 7/2/2011
Liberal Government and Water Minister Peter Walsh, definitely made the wrong decision in ditching the Target 155 campaign, with so much fanfare and publicity. In business and in life, we set targets and goals not that we will achieve them definitely, but they are something to aim for, to better ourselves in many aspects of performance.
Whether or not it was introduced by the former Labor government or anyone, Target 155 "was" a fantastic idea. Saving water should not be viewed as a policy; it should be a way of life. The best part of Target 155 was that no additional tax was imposed on people using water above the target - in fact, Target 155 was a psychological barrier. As a result, the public made conscious and unconscious decisions to conserve this valuable "resource".
I cannot understand the motive behind this move. By axing the campaign, or more correctly removing this magical target, many will revert back to bad habit using more water, causing increase in household spending, which can either increase household debt, or cannibalise spending on other services. In the worst case, both evils can take place. I can only speculate that increase water consumption will benefit a small group of businesses, particularly in the water industry.
Target 155 should be synonymous to Keep Australia Beautiful, Cleanup Australia, Planet Ark, Greening Australia, Earth Hour, etc. The program should be expanded instead of being axed. Whoever initiated this in your government is very short-sighted, and can have negative impact on Liberal Party's next election outcome. Voters are wiser and better informed than many politicians think.
I shall write to all accessible media to persuade voters to NOT to vote for candidates - Liberal, Labor, Green and Independent, who lack the commitment to conserve our planet precious resources.
