Federal Member for Boothby, Dr Andrew Southcott, paid tribute to the work of the Marion Council and the Oaklands Residents’ Association who have had a long term vision for a wetlands capable of harvesting stormwater from the Sturt River at Oaklands Park.
“This project has been on the drawing board for a long time and stalled due to a bureaucratic standoff within the State Government,” Dr Southcott said.
“Late last year I was happy to write a letter of support for the Marion Council’s funding application for the Oaklands wetlands,” he said.
“Over the years, I have promoted this project in the community through various mediums such as newsletters and calendars.”
The local community expected to hear whether the project was successful in May. However, after several months of no announcement there was concern that this proposal may lapse when the election was called.
Earlier this month Dr Southcott showed the Federal Shadow Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, the proposed site of the wetlands and they both called upon the Federal Water Minister, Senator Penny Wong, to get on with it and make a decision on this project without delay.
“It took an election for the Minister to act, but this is a good outcome for the residents of Boothby who have championed this project for years,” Dr Southcott said.