Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I signed it myself. This is bizarre: he says they got the Murray-Darling Basin Plan signed when it was my signature on it. I reckon, if they are going to interject, they should come up with cleverer ones than that.

Let me explain a few things to the Minister for the Environment because, up until yesterday, there was bipartisanship on Murray-Darling matters. Up until yesterday, there had been cooperative work between government and opposition across a number of changes of government. But if you wanted to destroy that bipartisanship and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, step 1 would be to remove it from the Department of the Environment. Step 1 would be to remove it from the environment portfolio and shift it across to the agricultural portfolio for one simple reason. Ask the question: what is the problem you are trying to fix? The essential problem in the Murray-Darling Basin is that the river was dying. The essential problem in the Murray-Darling basin is an environmental problem. Dealing with and fixing that needed to be done in a way which optimised the social, economic and environmental outcomes. It had to take account of the agricultural interests, but the essential problem being dealt with by definition was an environmental problem, and the person who understood that to begin with was actually John Howard.

It was John Howard who transferred the powers for the Murray-Darling to the environment portfolio, and guess which minister he gave them to—none other than the person who is now Prime Minister of Australia. He was the first one to receive the water powers and he was also the first one who to get the job he got yesterday was willing to give that legacy away.

The Nats at least were clever with this: they only demanded he give up every issue that he ever held as a conviction. They only argued that in the agreement that he signed he sign away everything that he had ever said had mattered. If he had not said it mattered before then they did not ask for that to go in the agreement. They only asked for the issues that would destroy the character and reputation of the Prime Minister to be part of the deal.

And they did not miss. They went through each issue that the member for Wentworth had previously said really mattered and would define him and said, 'Okay, for you to be Prime Minister, you only have to give up the things you believe in,' and what did he say? 'Where do I sign an agreement like that?' That is what happened yesterday.

When we raised this in the House, it was clear that members of the cabinet were entirely unaware that this agreement had been made. The Leader of the House himself stood up and took a point of order, saying, 'Oh, this is all hypothetical,' not knowing that the first captain's pick had already been made, not knowing that the new Prime Minister had already, without even telling the Leader of the House, made a fundamental change which gave up every issue of conviction that he had stood for and handed it over in a deal forced on him.

I have to say that, if anyone has to give away everything they believe in, you wouldn't think it'd happen in a negotiation with Warren Truss! You would not really think that would be the moment. And yet we discovered, as we thought question time was being delayed for half an hour yesterday because the swearing-in was still going on, it was actually being delayed because the new Prime Minister needed to give up everything he believed in.

Murray-Darling reform will see the beginning of its end. Look at the resolutions that were carried at the last National Party conference at the weekend. What did they call for? They called for the water portfolio to be transferred from the environment ministry to the agriculture ministry—New South Wales resolution carried. And then the Farrer branch called for the Water Act to enable Commonwealth water holders to sell back the water to producers. When the Prime Minister was asked today if he would rule that out, he refused to answer.

Make no mistake: if the water entitlements that are now held by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder are sold back, Murray-Darling reform is at an end.

See this speech in context