Federal Labor will commit $408 million from the Australian Water Fund to support the Queensland Government's Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme – the third largest water recycling project in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere.

The Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme is an important part of providing water security for the 2.7 million residents in south east Queensland, which will grow to 4 million residents by 2027.

Completion of the Scheme by December 2008 will deliver up to 210 mega-litres per day of recycled water.

That is 210 Olympic swimming pools a day.

It is extraordinary that since the $2 billion Australian Water Fund was set up in 2004, more than half of the funds remain unallocated.

This is an iconic, nation building project and Federal Labor strongly supports it.

Dam levels are approaching 23 per cent and Federal Labor will not stand idly by and watch south east Queensland run dry. The Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme will use recycled water from the Bundamba and Brisbane Wastewater plants.

The completion of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme will also mean an end to the huge amounts of wastewater currently discharged into Moreton Bay.

Labor has set a 30 per cent waste water recycling target by 2015.

A Rudd Labor Government will support practical, nation building projects to help deal with Australia’s water crisis in our major coastal cities where 17 million Australians live.

Climate change demands national leadership to develop comprehensive plans to safeguard our most precious resource – water.

A Rudd Labor Government will address the failure of the Commonwealth to engage in urban infrastructure programs through the creation of Labor’s “Major Cities” program, which will support practical initiatives in our major cities, including Brisbane.