{"id":161030,"date":"2016-10-20T10:42:15","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T00:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=161030"},"modified":"2024-01-22T10:40:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T00:40:44","slug":"return-of-fluoride-unlikely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/10\/20\/return-of-fluoride-unlikely\/","title":{"rendered":"Return Of Fluoride ‘Unlikely’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Burnett Mayor
Keith Campbell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 19, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

A State Government announcement that it will look at covering fluoridation infrastructure costs is unlikely to see fluoride reintroduced to the South Burnett’s water supply.<\/p>\n

The move, which was announced on Wednesday at the annual LGAQ conference on the Gold Coast, comes after two-thirds of Queensland’s councils – including the South Burnett – stopped fluoridating water when it became optional.<\/p>\n

Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk said a similar grant program was cut by the Newman Government.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want the infrastructure costs associated with fluoridating water to be a barrier for councils when considering its introduction,” Ms Palaszczuk said.<\/p>\n

“The Newman Government not only left the decision-making on fluoride to local government, but they left the financial burden to local government as well.”<\/p>\n

Ms Palaszczuk said there were many councils, including many Indigenous councils, which never had the opportunity to take-up the capital works funding when the former assistance program was cut.<\/p>\n

“My government will look at re-introducing a similar grants program to fund the initial capital works costs for introducing fluoridated water.<\/p>\n

“The program will be capped, with priority given to smaller councils with limited financial capacity to shoulder these costs themselves.”<\/p>\n

The Premier said she was a strong supporter of water fluoridation.<\/p>\n

“My message to Councils is, if you make the decision to introduce fluoride into your drinking water, we will help you pay for the upfront costs – that is my commitment.”<\/p>\n

The South Burnett stopped adding fluoride the region’s five water supply schemes in January 2013.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the time, former Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said the move was a cost-saving measure.<\/p>\n

The four former South Burnett councils had spent in excess of $2 million installing fluoridation plants when it was made compulsory in 2007, then paid ongoing costs for maintenance and supplies.<\/p>\n

The 2013 decision to call an end to fluoridation was expected to save the Council between $170,000 and $200,000 a year, which was about 20 per cent of its water processing costs at the time.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell said while he welcomed the Premier’s announcement, he doubted it would have any effect on the Council’s fluoride position.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The only way we could be persuaded to reintroduce fluoridation is if the State Government agreed to pick up all the running costs,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I applaud the Premier’s decision to look at helping out smaller councils that want to set up fluoridation systems, but it’s not appropriate for us.<\/p>\n

“In an agricultural area where many people have water tanks, the costs of fluoridation simply outweigh any benefits.”<\/p>\n

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