Scorched

How can you see where we're going?

They said no lights.

Spell paranoia.

For God's sake, Teddy.

Am I covered by workers' compo if you drive us into a telephone poll?

Would you just relax, all right? You're really starting to make me nervous.

Join the club.

There.

Give me the bag.

How much is in here?

Three grand.

Does Gavin know you're doing this?

Come on, thank Teddy. Will you just shut up and bring the bloody camera?

If that bug will bear my much conflict...

Got the money?

Yep.

Count it if you like.

- Is that thing on?

Not yet.

All right, don't point at me, all right?

White shot's only scout's honor.

- No names.

Absolutely.

All right, let's go.

Get that hose attached to the main. Now. Go. Go.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

So how long have you been tapping into the water mains?

About a year.

Have you been caught?

No.

Who buys you water?

Garden nurseries, industrial people.

Whatever, really. People with pools.

Do you ever feel guilty?

Because so many people have so little water.

We've got as much right to this water as anyone else.

Come on!

Stop!

All right, all right, go.

Here in Western Sydney, stolen water can be sold on the black market

for up to ten times its normal retail price.

With the economy in decline and unemployment rising,

we expected that the incidence of water theft will only increase.

Who is that?

Water, please. Don't let it burn!

What? No, no, no. I'm a journalist. I'm a citizenship speaker.

Whoa, how cold is this? You bitch!

You bitch!

Australia is the driest continent on Earth.

Fresh water is its lifeblood.

But last year, Australians wasted 200 million litres of water

just while we were brushing our teeth.

That's a lot of water down the drain and out to sea.

My government is doing everything we can to save and secure our water.

Our desalination plan provides 125 million litres a day

to the city of Sydney.

But we still need your help.

So next time you turn on the tap,

think hard about how much water you really need.

Let's all be smart with water.

In Western Europe, cyclonic conditions continue to wreak havoc,

causing catastrophic flooding and mudslides in France, Spain and Portugal.

Hey, you shafted me.

I saved your ass.

You gave up my sources. Those contacts were made in confidence.

You weren't out there without my approval.

What was if you'd have given it to me?

Damn right, you were paying them, for God's sake.

Oh, I'm sorry, and you've never ever paid for a story before?

I've never paid criminals to show me how to break the law. Jesus wept.

Gavin, look, water is the story of the century, OK?

Did you know it cost 450% more to drink a glass of water today

than it did even five years ago, and it is still heading north?

There's something very wrong with the way water is being delivered in this town.

Uh

huh.

Well, go out and look for yourself.

Go out West, Parramatta and beyond. Everything's dying.

OK, so people living on the coast can afford the fines

better than people living in the West. Hold the front page.

There is something else going on here.

Yeah, what's that?

I don't know yet.

Susan, wake up for Christ's sake.

If you want a story, work out what the bloody hell it is first,

then find someone who knows what they're talking about to nail their colours to your mast.

Paying a couple of unemployed wasters to show the world how to steal water

is just pissing in the wind.

Get that for free. I think we're done.

How'd that go?

Kind of guessed.

You know what I'm thinking of doing?

I'm thinking of setting up a museum for sprinkler in there.

Grandchildren, you know what? Granny used to run around under there.

Right.

Cool off.

And you know what? Remember the days when swimming poofles actually had water in them.

They weren't just skateboard rams.

Yeah, I've got a teenage gang in my back yard for some time right now.

They're just out of control. They're like mould, like little spores of teenagers.

You know what I mean?

I turned it in my windscreen wipers of a car and I was...

Here again, mate.

Aw, look, it's the Christmas lights.

Ten edge of the wedge.

Oh, Dave, a few Christmas lights is not going to melt the electricity grid.

Yeah, and what if everyone thought that way?

A single strand of 50 pulls to 200 kilowatt hours over 60 days.

I can't believe I married a man who chooses to know that stuff.

Yeah, well you do.

G'day.

Hi.

Hello.

That's a sad looking train, Mum.

Well, would it be better with lights?

Speak to him.

It's daddy.

Hey, is it alright if Deanna spends Christmas with us?

My parents have to go to Tasmania for a bit, so I can go home.

By yourself? No way. No, we'd love to have you.

Yeah, of course.

Cool. Thanks.

And you?

Thanks. That's really good of you guys.

Glass. Just a glass.

So, are we sleeping together?

We've been doing that for about eight months.

Yeah, I know. It's just been able to pretend that I didn't.

David Langmore?

David. My name's Susan Shapiro. I'm a journalist for CPN News.

I'm doing a story about Sydney's water supply and I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time.

Who gave you this number?

I can call you on another number if that would be more convenient.

No, I have nothing to say to you.

Mr Langmore, aren't you at least a little concerned about the city running out of water?

If I was, I would not be speaking to the media about it.

Mr Langmore, you're in the front line. Your opinion is extremely important.

Look, I've got nothing to do with the water services.

But I'm sure you could find out whatever you needed to.

Don't call his number again.

Four flare

- ups. Darragh National Park, Caddai, Blue Mountains and Holdsworthy.

No rain and storm?

No, just 18% humidity and a whole lot of lightning.

Lance, how many fixed

- wing aircraft have we got working in the central west?

One reconnaissance, two bombers.

We might need them in Sydney Metro. Put them on standby.

G'day, mate.

G'day, mate. How you doing?

Who are we talking to?

We're talking to Amy.

Amy?

Superintendent David Langmore is the State Operations Coordinator at the National Fire Service.

David, thanks for joining us.

Can you give us a summary of the bushfire situation at the moment?

Yeah, so there's been a number of major lightning strikes across the state in the past 24 hours.

These have started some significant fires in the north and the west of Sydney.

David. Susan Shapiro.

Make a special trip out here to buttonhole me?

It's not so special. It's on my way home.

I'm sure there are other people you could harass. People who actually deal with the water supply.

Yeah, and if I hear the words "commercial" in confidence one more time, I'll rip out my own liver.

You look bigger on TV.

Look, I just... Just let me ask you one thing.

How do you think the city's water shortage is going to affect the fire service?

My report's going to air tonight. I thought I'd give you one last chance to contribute.

Look, Ms. Shapiro. Susan.

Sometimes things aren't about conspiracy. It's simply about the weather.

And shit happens when good men do nothing.

...bring water from Warragamba Dam, Sydney's main source of drinking water, to the Prospect Filtration Plant.

Today the dam is at less than 10% of its capacity.

Now this raises very serious questions about the level of water scarcity in this city.

The quality of the water at the base of the dam is likely to be contaminated with whatever has sunk to the bottom over many years.

What's this about? Is this real?

No. No, it's sensational. It's bullshit.

We've got the best drinking water in the country. Nothing's changed in 15 years.

Andrew, get me the health minister in here, please.

As soon as people see that, they're going to think they're dying.

Everyone is getting pretty skittish about this water thing, huh?

This girl, this reporter, what do we know about her?

Shapiro. She's young. Ambitious.

So we can only wonder, what is the government doing to address this crisis?

She's a headline chaser.

It's good. Get her in here and make her feel special.

Sure.

Tomorrow it looks like more of the same for Sydney, and I'm afraid it's going to get even hotter.

Hey, the stories are pretty good.

No, I didn't.

Nice stories, Susan.

Yep. Okay, fine.

You've already cut my story.

Okay, done.

Where was all the stuff about the lack of water recycling and all the water shortages in the West?

I gave you eight minutes.

I do have a one

on

- one interview with the premier.

Unless you'd like me to ask someone else to do it.

...on CPN late edition news.