Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the member for Barker I represent all of the Murray River in South Australia, the lower lakes of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert and of course all of the world-renowned Coorong. The federal Labor Party has been absolutely silent on the state Labor Premier’s plan to put a weir at Wellington. What is the view of the member for Grayndler? What is the view of the Leader of the Opposition? What is the view of the opposition spokesman for the environment, the member for Kingsford Smith, on the proposed Wellington weir?

In all my life I have never come across such an ill-conceived proposal. Millions of taxpayers’ dollars have already been wasted on investigating this stupid proposal. The idea came from a naive viewpoint that if we close Lake Alexandrina off from the Murray River we can save over 1,000 gigalitres of water from evaporation and it can stay in the Murray River instead. That is a very naive view. What we will end up with instead is a stagnant pool of water between the proposed weir and Lock 1. It is common knowledge that, if you block off a river, when the water meets that block or weir it will deposit its silt and salt, which gradually extend backwards up the river. Presently, salt and silt are moved around by the natural movement of water, mainly from the prevailing winds. Because Lake Alexandrina is a large, shallow lake, winds push the water back up the river for 50 kilometres and possibly further, thereby replenishing the lower lakes and the lower Murray River. For example, when the winds are blowing, the water level at Mannum, some 50 kilometres north of the lake, will rise up to a metre. That movement of water is essential for the life of the lakes and of course the fish and insect life therein.

The doublespeak from the Premier of South Australia and Minister Maywald suggested that the weir would only be temporary. But at least 80 per cent of that 2.6 kilometre weir would be permanent. Once the weir material is in the lake, it will be virtually impossible to take it out again. I have actually visited the site of the proposed weir on both sides of the lake. If anyone here chose to take the time to go and visit it, they would see the complete insanity of the idea of putting a weir at Wellington. If Mike Rann wants to kill Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert then the Wellington weir will do it. If Mike Rann wants to kill the Coorong then the Wellington weir will do it. It seems to me that the Premier of South Australia just does not understand the Murray and those water issues.

It has been interesting to see the Premier’s crazy opposition to national control of the Murray-Darling Basin become more fragile every day. That is set against the fact that the Leader of the Opposition in this parliament has actually given very strong support for national control. First of all, Mike Rann said that we should have an independent body free of politicians. In other words, he was suggesting that a further $10 billion of taxpayers’ money should be controlled by an unelected, unaccountable group of bureaucrats. If we had that sort of set-up, who would we go to with problems? We could not go to the Prime Minister because he would not have any power over an independent body. We could not go to the Premier of South Australia because the Premier would have no power over or accountability for the Murray-Darling Basin. The Premier’s plan was completely unworkable.

I see today that he has back-pedalled and is now saying that this independent body would be answerable to a federal minister. What a backflip. But in the meantime he wants us fund his desalination plant. That plant is not for Adelaide’s water supply—something which he has rejected—but for Roxby Downs. My two messages are: firstly, that the sooner we take water management in the Murray-Darling Basin away from Mike Rann the better and, secondly, do not build a weir at Wellington. That weir will not only not achieve water for Adelaide but also kill the Murray, the lower lakes and the Coorong. (Time expired)

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