PREMIER Peter Beattie yesterday ruled out mandating fluoride as he has recycled water.

“We had to make that decision based on life and death and because we had no choice. I think fluoridation is a different issue,” he said.

The State Government continues to offer rebates to councils for set-up costs of fluoridating their drinking supplies.

However, under the Government’s much-vaunted water grid, water will be shared across the region, making it impossible for one council to choose to fluoridate its water while another opts out.

Mr Beattie conceded the Government would have to revisit the issue of fluoride grants for the southeast corner.

But he said there could still be fluoridated water if the region’s councils all agreed.

“If the whole 18 councils, and they do have an organisation, if they decided to do it then we would make the grants available to all of them or we would have to take it on board and do it jointly with them,” he said.

“But what it would require now is all councils to agree.”

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