Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

You don't just represent irrigators. You represent all of the people in your catchment, who deserve to have water and who deserve to have adequate and fair use of not only an area that is very, very ecological but also an area where we do need to produce food and fibre. We acknowledge that. But what we need is sensible debate and we need good legislation. This Labor government is not into yelling at people. What we are into is working with them. We are into sustainable, science based, future-facing legislation that will not only help sustain those irrigators in the long term but provide all of the requirements that we need to ensure the river system is healthy and that people can continue to irrigate and farm for future generations ahead.

So I would implore the opposition to get serious about water and the Murray-Darling Basin, stop yelling at us across the chamber and come on the journey with us and their people so we can ensure their future.

See this speech in context