Water is one of the most basic requirements for life and access to water is considered by the United Nations as a fundamental right.
Obviously there are no caveats there about how the water should taste, but in a country like Australia, minimum standards should be applied.
In 2020, I spoke with then-Flinders Ranges Council mayor Peter Slattery about the frustration of Quorn residents with their water and upgrades not being included in the four-year planning of SA Water.
It's now 2023 and again the community has been left off the plans for the next four years, with the excuse the "cost per beneficiary" was not adequate.
It feels like - once again - regionally-based people are being punished for not having a high enough population.
Having been left off the list of priorities multiple times now, those in the Quorn community must be seriously questioning if they will ever get better water, since the costs per beneficiary problem is not likely to ever be sufficient on paper.
How is this town expected to grow in these circumstances?
Quorn is far from the only place in SA where water is an issue, and it's not the only place where a smaller population may have government's questioning the value.
Meanwhile, we're still waiting on a decision on the Eyre Peninsula desalination plant as potential costs keep climbing.
Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
