Ms GERICK (10:50 PM) —Tonight I want to let the House know about Fred, whom I met recently in a shed. Fred is incredible and has the capacity to make a great contribution to the improvement of the protection of our environment. Fred is the invention of a gentleman who lives in my electorate of Canning. Fred has been designed to improve the control of waste which is disposed of down stormwater drains.

Stormwater is directed down through street drains, then enters the stormwater system and finally enters the ocean, creeks, rivers and other waters untreated. Stormwater is usually rich in organic matter and nutrients and therefore contributes to the environmental degradation in our waterways. The detrimental effect that stormwater has on aquatic life and water quality, and the encouragement of weed and algal growth, all impact on the fragile ecological system. There needs to be a public awareness campaign to highlight such effects so that all sections of the community can work together to protect such environmental damage.

In Western Australia the Water Corporation has acknowledged that it not only needs to protect against flooding but also has a major role to play in the improvement and protection of water quality in our waterways. Local community groups such as the Bayswater Integrated Catchment Management Group, one of the first urban management groups in Australia, are focusing on the issue of water quality in stormwater. This group is addressing nutrient loading, heavy metals and faecal coliforms which have all caused problems in their local waterways. It involves participation of different groups, such as local government, state government agencies and members of the local community.

It is pleasing to know that the New South Wales government has recognised the vital importance of addressing the problems associated with eutrophication and other water quality issues. This has culminated in the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 which recently took effect. This act provides the main regulation of stormwater pollution, and the New South Wales government has encouraged innovative ideas to assist in the process.

In addition, the Pittwater Coastal Environment Centre has embarked on a public awareness campaign about stormwater pollution. This campaign is based on a very successful Canadian project called `Yellow Fish Road', which involved the marking of drains with the shape of a bream. Community groups stencil the outline of a fish near the local drains and then embark on an education program by distributing information to nearby houses. The pamphlets make householders aware of the small things they can do in their own homes to stop the pollution, including measures such as applying fertiliser in moderation, washing cars on the lawn to filter out detergent residue, not over-watering gardens, et cetera. It also brings to their attention the consequences of pollution of the waterways.

The New South Wales Stormwater Industries Association was one of the original sponsors and it still provides funding for the production of the information kits—also in the shape of a bream—that are distributed. This program is now spreading across Australia, and in Western Australia several groups are keen to embark on this project. Federal funding towards these sorts of hands-on projects is much needed and would provide uniformity across our states and territories.

Fred has a contribution to make to this field. At no stage of his cleaning process does any waste water enter drains or stormwater systems. As we are all no doubt aware, the main contributor to nutrients entering our waterways is phosphates in cleaning agents. The Environmental Protection Authority and Waters and Rivers in Western Australia have seen the cleaning process, and it has their approval as being environmentally friendly. This system can be used, for example, for commercial cleaning in shopping centres, fast food outlets and buildings and for cleaning machinery. During the process the water is picked up and recycled through a filtering system. This water is then reused in the cleaning process, eliminating the need to dispose of waste water.

Equipment of this type not only helps in pollution reduction but also results in a massive amount of savings in water usage. It also eliminates the need to use harsh cleaning chemicals. Now that the technology is available to stop stormwater pollution, it is up to all levels of government to give support to these new businesses. Government should ensure that legislation is put in place to stop the processes which pollute our stormwater. I encourage all members to look at the new technologies available, such as Fred, and to promote their use to protect our environment.