Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Mayo has moved an amendment, and we are happy to support the amendment. I want to thank the member for Mayo for both this amendment and her ongoing interest and sincere commitment to the future of the Murray-Darling Basin.

As the member for Mayo said, this amendment will require the Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to prepare an annual progress report relating to water recovery targets. This will include reporting progress towards increasing the volume of basin water resources that is available for environmental use by 450 gigalitres; the Commonwealth's water recovery target, known as the 'bridging the gap target'; projects that relate to the adjustment of the sustainable diversion limits, or the sustainable diversion limit adjustment mechanism projects; and any other matters specified by the minister in writing.

Each year, I'll be required to table an annual progress report relating to the water recovery targets, including the 450-gigalitre target, the bridging the gap target and the projects that relate to the adjustment of the sustainable diversion limit—that's the 605-gigalitre target. This is a common-sense proposal which will strengthen government transparency on the delivery of water quality targets. I am pleased that the government will be able to support the member for Mayo's amendment.

Mr Speaker, can I just add a couple of comments in relation to the comments made by previous speakers on this amendment. The Leader of the Nationals and the member for Riverina have talked about how progress was afoot under them. I'm just going to table the graph that shows what progress happened under the previous government. The member for New England and others have talked about food prices. In fact, in 2011-12, the year when water purchase was highest, when 493 gigalitres of water were bought, food and beverage prices fell by 3.2 per cent. So, in the year that water purchase was highest, 493 gigalitres were bought. Food and beverage prices went down by 3.2 per cent that year.

I think it's important to note that, of course, input costs have impacts on prices. Fuel prices have an impact, water prices have an impact, what's happening to commodities overseas has an impact, droughts have an impact and floods have an impact. The idea that this is a simple, linear equation is just nonsense.

I also want to make a comment about the member for New England talking about water purchase. In 2017, the member for New England took a very special interest in the buyback of water licences in southern Queensland. It just so happened that $80 million of buybacks made by the member for New England, the then minister, was from water licences owned by an investment fund based in the Cayman Islands, established by the now shadow Treasurer. It seems that those opposite are absolutely opposed to water purchase unless it's the member for New England buying it from a company established by the shadow Treasurer. So it seems like not all purchases are a problem.

See this speech in context