Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Water. Can the minister update the House on progress on the reform in the Murray-Darling Basin? Is the minister aware of any threats to that progress?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Makin for his question. The government are working to help secure water supplies and restore the Murray-Darling Basin to a sustainable footing under the $12.9 billion Water for the Future plan, and we are confronting the problem of historic overallocation of water entitlements—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The minister will resume his seat. When the House comes to order we will slowly draw question time to a close.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the government is confronting the problem of historic overallocation of water entitlements and decades of inaction by those opposite on this important issue. This is compounded by more than 10 years of drought and record low flows into river systems. Regrettably, there will be even less water in the future, as a result of climate change. Earlier this year, the Council of Australian Governments secured a historic agreement to undertake critical reform in the Murray-Darling Basin and to establish an independent national authority to manage the Murray-Darling in the national interest. The authority will deliver a basin-wide plan in 2011, with sustainable limits on the amount of water that can be taken from our rivers and groundwater systems. The basin plan, including the new sustainable diversion limit, will become binding on jurisdictions as their existing catchment level water plans expire. The agreement enabled the referral of powers to the Commonwealth, so that the new Murray-Darling Basin Authority could manage the basin as a whole, through a whole-of-basin plan. This is what Mr Turnbull said he wanted last year when he was Minister for Environment and Water Resources, but he did not deliver. In July, he said:

The principal problem with the Murray-Darling Basin has been that it’s never had a basin-wide plan. It’s never been run as one.

That is why we have introduced new legislation into the parliament to help secure the long-term future of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Water Amendment Bill 2008 introduces significant reforms to the governance arrangements of the basin, gives effect to the intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin reform and gives the Leader of the Opposition another chance to deliver on what he said he wanted—that is, a basin-wide plan.

The shadow minister for climate change, environment and urban water, the member for Flinders, said on 14 November, ‘We will not stand in the way of the water act.’ Even today, on Adelaide radio, the Leader of the Opposition said:

We are not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. I mean, the Water Amendment Bill will pass through the Senate.

That should be the end of the matter. Why, then, are coalition senators still planning to move amendments when the bill returns to the Senate tonight? It is just like carbon sinks of yesterday. The Leader of the Opposition seems unable to bring his troops into line—in this case, to bring his senators into line. The fact is that, if coalition senators persist with this approach, these crucial reforms will not proceed and we will have to go back to the drawing board to fix up the Murray. It is time for the opposition leader to take responsibility for passing the water bill tonight. If the opposition leader could not deliver on carbon sinks, with the future of the Murray at stake, it is time for him to pull his troops into line and deliver and see that this bill is passed.

While the opposition has been in chaos on water issues, the government has been getting on with the job of addressing our long-term water challenges. In the budget, we brought forward $400 million of funding from 2011-12 to accelerate action on the Murray-Darling. We are investing $3.1 billion to buy back water entitlements from willing sellers—

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fran Bailey interjecting

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

The member for McEwen will come to order.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

so, when it does rain, the river gets a greater share of water.

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fran Bailey interjecting

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

I warn the member for McEwen!

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are the first-ever federal government to purchase water—

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

The member for McEwen will excuse herself from the House for one hour.

The member for McEwen then left the chamber.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say to members opposite—so loud in their objections—that in 2001 the Murray-Darling Basin Commission did a snapshot of the health of rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin and found 95 per cent environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin in 2001. And what did they do about it? Absolutely nothing. In fact, when it came to dealing with the issue of water in the Murray-Darling Basin, they had a $10 billion plan, dreamt up on the back of an envelope, which did not even go through Treasury. So do not let opposition members start to give us any curry about how we deal with water in this House. This government is investing $5.8 billion to make irrigation infrastructure more efficient. We have a major focus on the Murray-Darling Basin, using less water to grow food and fibre, making the nation’s food bowl more resilient to climate change. And we are opening up the water market to trade water where it provides the most benefit. The government is committed to reform of the Murray-Darling Basin to keep the rivers healthy while continuing to provide water for households and for food production. This bill, which is in the Senate now, delivers on those reforms—the very reforms that the opposition leader said that he wanted. Now it is time for him to show some leadership and deliver them.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that the minister table the notes from which he was reading, which were no doubt headed, ‘Pete’s pipeline green light’.

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

Was the minister quoting from a document? Is the document confidential?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.