Labor has been in government in Queensland since 1998. So any discussion of the Beattie government's policies on water come with the caveat that they have had eight years to put policies in place. The Labor policies on water cover increased water for outdoor use and statewide approaches to infrastructure.

Labor's policy documents;

• Water for garden's, parks and sporting grounds.
• Statewide Water Policy

As mentioned in the intro, the Beattie government has been around for eight years. Their policy document on outdoor water is small and starts with;

Severe drought, climate change and strong population growth are putting unprecedented pressure on Queensland's water supplies.

In response, many local councils have applied restrictions on the outdoor water use.

The problem appears to be drought, climate change and local councils - not the state government's policies in this area. As per a party in government dollar figures are thrown around to get voter buy-in. One of the more curious is the $5 million worth of rebates to buy native plants. Kind of like a state level baby-bonus electoral bribe.

This is an interesting use of money;

$500,000 ($50 per household) over two years for the nursery industry and Queensland Government to develop an education campaign to promote water-wise gardening tips and the use of native and drought-resistant plants;

But I am not convinced of its necessity, most Australians know European plants are maintained at a large cost in water. This is not new knowledge by any means. I also recall the local parks in the eighties going around and planting natives for the same reason. Again it is not knew.

There exists rebates under current policies for water conservation devices;

The Government is already helping Queenslanders to save water indoors by providing rebates on water-saving devices such as rainwater tanks, washing machines, showerheads, dual-flush toilets and greywater devices through the Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme.

The PDF that contains the outdoor water policies doesn't include any information on the proposed dams, though the blurb has;

The Beattie Labor Government is implementing a comprehensive plan to provide additional water and greater water security for Queensland by building new dams, raising existing dams, establishing other water infrastructure with connecting pipelines.

Most of the engineering build-outs and their policies are in the statewide water policy document. Basically it is big dollars chasing big capital works.

• $496 million to a statewide water grid to complement the SEA grid.
• $222 million to raise the dam heights and storage capacities in existing locations.
• $434 million (already) to the Western Corridor Recycled Scheme
• $80 million to a (stop)leakage program in SEQ.

There is no mention of the cost of the proposed dams. The Labor government's approach to water policy is capital works and subsidy. Both expensive propositions. Any conservation is either through rebates of water using devices, including plants, or education schemes.

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More Reading on Labor

• Labor
• Peter Beattie
• Water
• Queensland
• The Initial Schism Between Liberal and Labor
• Labor's Water Policy in Queensland
• Fabricated Division
• NSW Changes in Government