Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

He just might learn something about our farmers. He talks about the Murray-Darling Basin. I appreciate that this is about the amendments brought to the chamber by the member for Maranoa, but our farmers aren't the only ones who are going to be affected by the changes that Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and the water minister, who I quite like, have brought to this place.

Honourable members interjecting—

I do, and she knows it—and it's mutual.

Honourable members interjecting—

I know it's mutual. The member for Lyons can laugh all he likes, but I've got a lot of respect for the water minister. That said, when Labor and the Greens get together on a motion, on a piece of legislation, it's not just going to affect our farmers. It's going to affect the cafes, the hairdressers, the schools and everyone else in the Murray-Darling Basin. This is sensible environmental policy, brought to you by the National Party, brought to you on behalf of our farmers. The member for New England is right when he talks about that wonderful underground inland river system called the artesian basin. We have to protect it. We have to look after it.

We had a decade. That's more than what I hope you ever get, member for Melbourne. Let me tell you: when the leader of the Greens in the ACT wants the Greens to have cabinet spots in the federal parliament, I worry, I shake, I shiver with fear, because you could just imagine Senator Shoebridge in charge of justice. You could just imagine Senator Hanson-Young being in charge of agriculture. They're enough to make our farmers fear. They're enough to make our communities worry, to keep them awake at night.

This amendment will not keep Australians awake at night if it is approved. I appreciate the water minister saying she would look at it in the future. I hope they do more than just look at it in the future; I hope they vote with us today, because we have to look after our artesian basin. We have to make sure that the potable water is there not just for present needs but for future generations, because, once destroyed, we will never get it back. That's why these are sensible amendments. That's why the member for Maranoa has put forward these amendments to the amendments coming back from the Senate.

The member for New England is also right when he talks about what the member for Flynn has put forward. The member for Flynn has been working on this for months. He is a passionate Queenslander. He understands better than anyone the benefits of the artesian basin and the need to protect it. He comes to this place with experience in that regard. He was a former Queensland member of parliament. He understands how important mining is. He understands how important Gladstone harbour is. He understands how important farming is because he actually runs a farm, owns a farm, works a farm—more than I can say the member for Melbourne ever will.

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