I rarely blog (read never), but the passing of Gough Whitlam gives pause for reflection. Widely reported among Gough's many achievements is the sewering of western Sydney. This farsighted investment materially improved the lives of western Sydney residents at the time.
But the coverage got me thinking that these are benefits which we continue to enjoy today; benefits that were paid for 40 years ago by the previous generation. Similar stories of farsighted investment by past generations in dams, pipes and sewerage can be told around Australia. To a significant extent we, the current generation, are living off the efforts of the past.
However, increasingly these assets are requiring maintenance and renewal if they are to continue to provide the services we expect from them. These maintenance costs are increasingly finding their way into peoples water bills. No one likes rising bills, but we can hardly complain about being asked to pay for the upkeep on assets that were paid for by others: by a community that was materially less well off than we are today.
And in pausing to remember Gough's achievements in sewering western Sydney it may even be worth thinking about what water legacy we want to leave to the next generation.
23 Oct 2014
