The Sauce: SES concerned about overflow at Warragamba Dam but water restrictions remain
Warragamba Dam is now so full that the NSW SES is seriously concerned about attending incidents near there during major storms — but Sydneysiders still must obey level one water restrictions. Is this fair? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
NSW
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Children are not allowed to play in sprinklers, yet Warragamba Dam is almost spilling over.
And now Emergency Services Minister David Elliott has revealed the NSW SES has raised serious concerns about attending incidents near Warragamba Dam should there be another major storm.
So just why is Water Minister Melinda Pavey adamant that Level 1 restrictions must remain until at least December?
It is understood the December timeline relates to the release of the next Metropolitan Water Plan, which sets out how the state government plans to meet the future needs of residents.
The rapid filling of the dam — now at 98.2 per cent capacity — from consecutive east coast lows was unlikely to have been anticipated.
However, a government source claimed keeping the restrictions in place also reduced demand on the water filtration system, which has its work cut out after bushfires tore through the catchment.
As for the dam bursting, Ms Pavey said WaterNSW was releasing 2500mL of water a day to “manage capacity”.
Should restrictions be lifted, it would still have to release 65mL a day.
As for SES concerns, “the SES commissioner hasn’t raised concerns with me or my agency,” Ms Pavey said.
This war is far from over.
KNIVES OUT FOR AGEING MINISTER
The knives are out for Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck, who is also Minister for Youth and Sport.
A log of the minister’s disclosed travel arrived on the desk of The Sauce, with the suggestion he was enjoying the perks of his sport portfolio at the expense of aged care.
The log, which married up his trips with various royal commission hearings, showed Mr Colbeck’s week-long trip to the UK and France coincided with the second public hearings of the Aged Care Royal Commission held in Perth.
As the hearings were under way between June 24 to June 28 last year, Colbeck was in London where he attended the Cricket World Cup match between Australia and England on the 25th.
He also attended the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as participating in stakeholder meetings.
Other trips in July, October and December were also on the list.
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To cut Colbeck some slack, sport portfolio events are rarely going to look like “work”.
A spokesman for the Minister, who is also responsible for the youth portfolio, said it was clear this was an attempt at political pointscoring. “Minister Colbeck’s responsibilities span three portfolios and subsequently he is required to regularly attend events as a representative of the Australian government,” he said.
HELLO AGAIN
When former NSW government minister Pru Goward was given the planning portfolio, one of her first moves was to sack the long-time director-general of planning, Sam Haddad.
Haddad had been in the job for nine years and had been regarded as an integral part of the government’s planning reform agenda.
Goward explained the move at the time as relating to the role changing from just planning to planning and the environment, with the new role of secretary having “wider responsibilities”.
Fast-forward six years and The Sauce was intrigued to find the pair are back working together on the board of the multibillion-dollar Holdmark Property Group.
The Group, founded by Sarkis Nassif, brother of Toplace developer Jean “you like?” Nassif, has not only snared a former planning minister and the state’s ex-top planning bureaucrat, but also a former deputy police commissioner in Nick Kaldas and another former NSW minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, who is board chair.
There is life after public service.
BIRD RACE
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk might be refusing to open the border, but it is going to take more to stop the nation’s pigeon fanciers from holding an interstate race.
The Sauce can reveal a commercial transport company recently contacted the NSW government, seeking approval to “move more than 17,000 pigeons” across from Victoria to Broken Hill where they will be released as part of a race to Victoria.
It is understood the race was to start in Queensland, but the border closure forced organiser to find an alternate release site.
The freight permit was granted and the birds will race later this month.
Got some Sauce? contact Linda.silmalis@news.com.au or Annika.smethurst@news.com.au
Originally published as The Sauce: SES concerned about overflow at Warragamba Dam but water restrictions remain
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