Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Consistent with his commitment to transparency of government, will the Prime Minister immediately release the urgent advice his government received on 18 June in relation to immediate steps that can be taken to provide water to the people of the Coorong and Murray lower lakes, where there is an unfolding economic, environmental and social tragedy?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am unaware of the document to which the honourable gentleman refers. That is my honest answer. I think all members of this House would be united in their concern for the problems of the lower lakes. That is why I went there with Senator Wong, the Minister for Climate Change and Water, to have extensive discussions with those in the lower lakes about the particular challenges which they face. The government’s response to that has been on multiple levels. The first is this: for the first time in the Commonwealth’s history the buyback of water entitlements will commence. Those opposite talked about it all the time but did not spend a brass razoo on it. We have actually gone ahead with it and so far we have expended $50 million to purchase back entitlements, from memory, of some 37 gigalitres from the system. This is a small start but a necessary start. Subsequent to that, at the cabinet meeting in Adelaide, the government agreed to the release of further significant funds for the purchase of entitlements across the Murray-Darling system. That is one part of the challenge.

The other part of the challenge is what you do to improve the overall efficiency of the irrigation systems which currently draw water out of the Murray-Darling system. Apart from the fact that the water has been overallocated to hell over the last 100 years, these irrigation systems are often antiques in their own right. One of the figures we have been presented with suggests that there is something like a 30 per cent leakage from these irrigation systems as they pump water from the river system onto farm properties. That is obviously a practical area where we can work. That is why, again, in the first few meetings of the Council of Australian Governments, the government have allocated literally billions of dollars in programs to the states for the improvement of irrigation systems applying to farm properties across the system.

The third thing we have done is this: through the Council of Australian Governments, we have created a single Murray-Darling Basin authority. This has been talked about, again, for many months and for many years by those opposite but was never brought to fruition. At the first meetings of the Council of Australian Governments, we were able to bring about agreement on the establishment of this authority. Why is that important? For the first time in the history of the Murray-Darling Basin, we have therefore a single authority empowered to create a basin-wide plan for the proper use of the resource. In the past, that was Balkanised across the various states and territories of Australia and could no longer be sustained. These are practical steps forward.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not taken by you.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite again interject in the most partisan of fashions.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rest my case. I would have thought that the Murray-Darling should exist as a challenge beyond partisan politics. I would have thought the entire nation wanted to see politicians cease squabbling about the Murray-Darling—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about Brumby?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sturt.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and get on with a practical plan of action to do something about the Murray-Darling, to make sure that we can actually look the next generation of Australians squarely in the eye and say, ‘We did all that was physically possible to save this most threatened, challenged and pressured of river systems.’

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about Brumby two years ago?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt is warned!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would suggest the Leader of the Opposition reflect very carefully on when the crisis in the Murray and the flow-through of waters actually began. Is he again suggesting—consistent with the question from the member for Maranoa last time round, who now returns to the chamber—that this problem mysteriously erupted on 24 November last year? I would say to the honourable members opposite, including the Leader of the National Party, how much did the Leader of the National Party authorise in payments to buy back water entitlements from the system? A big, fat zero. We saw 12 years of systematic inaction on a river system under gross challenge, delivered off the back of climate change and record low inflows, year after year after year. Those opposite, led by the ‘Captain of the Cow Cockies’, have the audacity to come into this parliament and say, ‘Why haven’t you fixed this problem in nine months?’ I think the people of Australia would ask those opposite to get real with this. We have a plan of action when it comes to the Murray-Darling. We have achieved more in our first nine months in office than those opposite achieved in 12 years. We will prosecute this program of action. It is a practical course of action and our first point of reference is what can be practically done to save the lower lakes.