22 March 2007

Water wastage

| johnboy
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John Hargreaves has taken some time out from his defence of Al Grassby to push out a media release calling on business to impoverish their shareholders to solve his water problems.

Rather than price water to encourage efficiency Mr. Hargreaves seems to hope a media release might guilt a few suckers and band wagon jumpers into re-working their business models.

He’s got as his poster child Capital Linen which has saved “six Olympic swimming pools” of water in the last year. We always urge caution when public figures start speaking in swimming pool equivalents. What is not mentioned is what percentage of their total use this represents (although the keen might be able to work it out from what they hope to save next year).

If only there was a clear price incentive to reduce water use. Just think how many more poster children he would have!

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God I love this site

Well we have to ask ourselves why there aren’t not more capable candidates that stand for the job. – bugalugs

Hey, if you think your going to do a better job, i’ll vote for you!

Also, if you don’t like the way the site is run, don’t post and wander off to another corner of the WWW.

I call it Capital Hill from time to time.

Christ he (bugalugs) is irritating. At least we’re managing to wind him up.

That was sourcing what I already knew for the benefit of a person obviously ignorant of a reasonably common usage.

Here’s one from earlier this month.

Do your own research next time.

Great johnboy you can use wikipedia!

However my original question still stands – Who calls it Capital Hill.

Use your search skills to show me a reference of a journalist referring to decision making taking place on capital hill.

The sort of people who know it’s the name of the hill perhaps?

Ralph

Of course it isn’t.

However what sort of tosser calls it Capital Hill?

Illusions of grandeur from the small minded maybe?

Um, no. hahaha

Ralph,

Capitol Hill!

She is working on Capital Hill (last I heard) in one of the Democrat Senator’s offices.

the ex rugby bible basher
That would be the ex-mungo bible basher, thank you very much.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt4:14 pm 22 Mar 07

She probably saw what her private sector uni buddies were earning.

id say she made more of a practical contribution than the ex rugby bible basher and his mate. she also had a more realistic view of the world than green hazed tucker.

whatever happened to dundas ?

did she go back to uni ?

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt3:06 pm 22 Mar 07

There might be power and perks but most young professionals who are on the high side of $150k per year aren’t all that interested, which is why they are the ones on those salaries.

I for one much prefer to earn my nice high salary, and not have to worry about what the public thinks of me. The public service has great conditions, but in private sector (I’m in IT) the money on offer in this town is unbelievable at the moment.

Roslyn did a better job than most.

Ralph

Fair dinkum! Smoking rates among pregnant woman are susceptible to tax hikes.

Hardly a sample to hang your hat on – but did you ask yourself why they were smoking in the first rate?

Well we have to ask ourselves why there aren’t not more capable candidates that stand for the job.

I moved here from Sydney 4 1/2 years ago and I couldn’t believe that a 222 year old who had placed her uni studies on hold (Roslyn Dundas) was considered electable by the populice!

There’s a lot of power, perks, and getting on the tele which seems to keep them going.

I agree that career politicians do nothing for the quality of our governemnts.

The pay though does suck! Whilst $150,000 is above average pay there would be plenty of young professionals in Canberra that are earning at least $200,000 without the public scrutiny

I don’t think the pay is bad, the problem is more the pile of factional corpses they need to spend years crawling over to get in there.

Making politics a career for life rather than something people drop in and out of has certainly reduced the quality of those willing to commit to it.

johnboy

Hargreaves is a clown and I for one don’t take him seriously.

But……….. who in their right mind would want to be in the ACT parliament for $150,000 per annum?

Ralph

Why don’t we just privatise ACTEW then? – the market will work it out.

Okay – show me statistical evidence that people stop smoking becuase of increased taxes

Of course you need pricing in place – but your simple snide comments allude to the fact you believe that is all that is needed.

It is all that is needed.

It is very easy to say that increasing cigarette taxes has resulted in people you knwo (sic) quitting smoking but you show me statistical proof that is the case.

Now you’re just being silly. There’s plenty of evidence out there.

VY, most businesses already charge as much as they can possibly get away with, but the more valuable their inputs the more efficient they try to be.

bugalugs, what about the economic cost of anyone taking Hargreaves seriously and using more expensive business methods to no advantage?

Of course you need pricing in place – but your simple snide comments allude to the fact you believe that is all that is needed.

It is very easy to say that increasing cigarette taxes has resulted in people you knwo quitting smoking but you show me statistical proof that is the case.

Water pricing (as with most governemnt policy) is a multi dimesnional problem. Sure icnrease the price of water by 10 times but what about the flow on economic consequences of the all the industries and jobs that are lost.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt2:27 pm 22 Mar 07

Making water more expensive will do 2 things (at least):
1) Some businesses will claim a higher cost base and thus pay less tax; and
2) Other businesses will pass the cost right on through to consumers.

So yay, water use is not reduced by businesses and individuals pay. Again.

Maybe we could take the same approach as for electricity, where when in rains you could catch the water from your roof and sell it back to the ‘grid’.

Bottom line, more storage is needed. That’s where we need to start.

I think you mean inelastic sunshine (bugalugs).

Without the pricing in place you can’t appeal to even the rational.

Particularly as in this case we’re talking about business consumption.

Cigarette pricing was responsible for more people I know giving up the death sticks than any advertising campaign.

You can find me I’m sure.

I never said I wasn’t arrogant I just said that you were also arrogant and I don’t think you know what you are talking about.

You lead with a personal attack, then declare the population is too stupid to act in its economic interest, and then declare me arrogant?

And at the same time your email address has no corresponding website.

Righto then!

Back to the topic at hand.

johnboy proposes pricing water correctly (which I agree with) as the great panacea to solve all our water problems.

Now what if like cigarettes water use is quite elastic and usage doesn’t fall? How are you going to solve our water problem then? Raise prices again.

johnboy

The majority of the population is stupid. Accept that for starters and things will become easier for you. Governemnts treats us like idiots because that is how we act.

I am strictly apolotical and agree the Stanhope governemnt is on the nose and the Libs aren’t not much better but your constant, negativity, whining and sarcasm drives me over the edge sometimes.

For your information I have 3 business all running succesfully employing 19 people but that is beside the point.

You have a product that could be very popular but I am sure a great number of people are turned off by your arrogant approach to the majority of posts.

Your information is a bit off there matey,

But getting momentarily on topic, personally I think these feel good media strategies are counterproductive, and just a diversion from taking real action. That makes them worse than useless.

You seem to be mostly angry that people are listening to what I think. Boo hoo for you.

I’d ask about all the successful businesses you’ve built my friend, but it’s not actually relevant to this discussion.

johnboy – do you ever get tired of negativity?

I mean here is a guy that sits all day and passes comments on others (both sides of government)yet has by any definition been a business failure. Start getting people to pay for ads or I’ll move to Kiami (What a high achiever you are!)

Water pricing is only one component of an effective water strategy.

But I suppose a guy sitting in a 2 bedroom apartment in Braddon unable to make a living knows more about the topic than others.

barking toad1:34 pm 22 Mar 07

In comparison to the swimming pools ‘saved ‘ by Capital Linen I reckon I save a lot more in proportion by not half-flushing because I water the garden 2-3 times a day. And more on Friday nights and weekends when the flow is encouraged by the extra guzzling of delicious cold beer.

In the overall scheme of things though, it makes fark all difference despite what the minister for press releases says.

As much as turning off all appliances for an hour will save the planet from Al’s gorebal warmening.

I think we can safely assume he was talking about filled pools.

So, on account of not being able to fill or empty the aforementioned swimming pools due to the current rules in place, the effectual savings of water is on a base 0 multiplication factor ?

6 swimming pools x 0 = 0
7 swimming pools x 0 = 0 ?

Statistically he can say what he wants because it’s not necessary for them to save any water !

“We always urge caution when public figures start speaking in swimming pool equivalents”

Or ‘cars off the road’ equivalents!

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