David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. He knows full well the importance of delivering this plan on time and in full. Sadly, I have to advise the House that the Basin Plan has never before been so fragile as it is today. Yesterday the member for Watson advised me that he will join the Greens in disallowing the Northern Basin Review. This will put in jeopardy the full implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, a plan that the member for Watson created. The Northern Basin Review was created by the member for Watson. The outcomes of that Northern Basin Review have been in the public domain since November 2016, yet at five to midnight he decides to say that more work needs to be done on the Northern Basin Review, some 14 months after it was outlined. I don't buy it. This is more about politics than leadership. Those of us that have been honoured to be elected to this place wonder sometimes why there is a political discord across this nation, why this nation doesn't trust its elected leaders: it is due to times like this, where people put politics ahead of the real leadership that is required to deliver this plan.

These are real people's lives that we are playing with, people that I have known, sat with and listened to. The farmers, the hardened men that I have respected, that are better men than the member for Watson and I, sat there with fear and tears in their eyes about the uncertainty for their family, about their future and what they are able to achieve in their life. Or the small businesses in those irrigation communities that have worked for 40 years to build up businesses to use as their superannuation, and now they're worthless. Or the young agronomist who has had a start in life and wants to have a go and put on a second agronomist, but because of the uncertainty he can't, so he works 16 hours a day to make a living, to the point of absolute exhaustion, and rolls his utility. He just about kills himself, which would leave his family and children behind. These are real stories we are talking about. This is about leadership at this moment. This nation expects us, as leaders, to deliver this plan. If this nation and this parliament have descended into politics over leadership and people, then I pity you and I pity what you've become.

Ms Burney interjecting—

Mr Husic interjecting—

See this speech in context