Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Urquhart has stated that abolishing the board would be short-sighted, that the savings are not worth it, that the government is not about standing for accountability and that we are only going backwards with our approach. Senator Singh has also made similar points. Well, the first point I want to make is that this body was originally intended to go for eight years. Eight years is enough to improve how we look at water security and improve our systems with major effect. A large chunk of the hard yards has already been done by the National Water Commission, and keeping it going would simply be a waste. What is not short-sighted is to make efficiencies where there will be minimal difference or no difference in the ability for the work to be done. In my view, it is short-sighted to keep a bloated body going, and I support this bill.

This government has always considered water to be, in the words of Senator Urquhart, an A-level issue. This is why we are debating the merits of this bill for all. This bill deserves the support of the House.

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