Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have, believe it or not, my constituents being arrested on their own property for trying to defend their own properties. I sometimes have to stop and say: ‘Well, what is it? Isn’t this Australia?Is this really Australia that these grossly undemocratic actions are taking place in?’ This is of terrible concern to my constituents, but this of course is also of national concern. It is good that the member for Mayo is sitting here in the chamber with me today, because it affects the people in his electorate and the people of South Australia, because the purpose of this pipeline is to take unaudited water, saved, which is meant to be going into the Living Murray initiative for the benefit of all Australians. It is being taken, by the rogue action of the Victorian government, and sent down this pipeline to the Sugarloaf dam. It is just so difficult to try to convey the degree of hurt that my constituents are experiencing. But a much bigger issue is the degree of hurt that all Australians are going to feel as a result of these absolutely rogue actions by Premier Brumby and the Victorian Labor government.

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