Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

The good part of the Water Amendment (Long-term Average Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment) Bill is that it allows environmental works and measures to be counted in such a way as to mean that the pressure on farmers, farm communities and regional communities is diminished whilst achieving our environmental outcomes. The bad part of this bill was that it removed ministerial, and potentially parliamentary, scrutiny from the Basin Plan. That scrutiny did exist, contrary to what the minister said, under section 44(3), which gave the minister a power to act. That is now being effectively retained and we have put that forward and the government has adopted it. We are happy that the parliament is now sovereign again.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

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