Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Hansard source

The way the Water Act has been described of late you would think it was a recent Labor invention. The water reform process had bipartisan support and the legislation was brought in under the previous government. In advance of the formal consultative process that comes under the Water Act, the authority has made its own decision to release an advanced document called The Guide. They have made that decision independently and it is for them to make that decision.

A large number of issues have caused concern for various communities. Regardless of the level of argument that is contained within the question, I do take in good faith the motivation of the questioner. He on many occasions—as long as I have known him—has spoken of the many mental health challenges that are faced by his community in particular. The irrigation drought was felt more deeply in Mildura than in many other parts of Australia. The work that he has done there with the community has always been constructive and I do take him at face value on that.

On the question about visiting communities, those who listened to the adjournment debate last night would know I was in Griffith last Friday with the member for Riverina. It was a very constructive meeting with community leaders and irrigators. During the week before that I was in Trangie with the Trangie-Neverfail irrigation authority—

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