Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kennedy for his question. He must have been sitting in the back stalls of my church on Sunday, because the pastor was actually talking about Moses on the weekend. So, you may have been there, in the back stalls. You're welcome any time, as any members are. I want to thank the member for Kennedy for this question, and I want to thank him for his strong advocacy of the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme. Together we have worked to ensure that we've committed $180 million from the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund to build the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme. So far we know that it could capture and manage up to 500,000 megalitres of water, and this will grow primary production in the region significantly and ensure the best possible management of what you rightly describe as the scarce water resource.

Most recently, I met with the Queensland premier on this, on 12 July. In that meeting there was strong support indicated, but I am concerned that other messages are being communicated by the Queensland government to the proponents of that project, and I'll be seeking clarity from the Queensland government as to whether they share our commitment to this project to see that it proceeds. We have already provided $2 million from the Community Development Grants Program for the feasibility study; $900 in funding has already been provided to the Hughenden Irrigation Project—or HIPCo, as it's known—to conduct that work. It's currently on track to deliver their second major project milestone by early August, with the final milestone due to be completed by early 2020.

Now, I know that the member, like me, is frustrated by the time taken to get a lot of this done, and I want to assure him that our government remains as committed to this project as when we first discussed it and to breaking through the bureaucracy and the delays that have too long delayed these important projects. It's part of a broader set of work that we are doing to build water infrastructure in this country. And I remind the House what that includes, which I'm sure the Deputy Prime Minister would also. There's $150 million worth of construction already underway on the North Adelaide Irrigation Scheme in South Australia. There's $80 million underway in the South West Loddon Pipeline in Victoria. There is $60 million in the Macalister Irrigation District modernisation in Victoria. There is also money going into the Sunraysia Modernisation Project phase 2 in Victoria. There's $51 million in the Scottsdale Irrigation Scheme in Tasmania. There's $28 million in the Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme in Northern Queensland and $12 million in the Nogoa-Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme in Northern Queensland. There's $352 million going into the Rookwood Weir in Queensland, and the preliminary work on that has commenced, and $396 million going to the Myalup-Wellington project in Western Australia. We're very serious about pursuing these programs. They're happening now, and our government is committed to the National Water Grid and delivering the water infrastructure that Australia needs. (Time expired)

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