Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Minister, I refer you to the public comments made recently by the CEO of New South Wales—

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Clare interjecting

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am really interested in what he says!

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order!

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will recommence, Mr Speaker.

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

The member for Riverina has the call.

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I refer the minister to public comments made recently by the CEO of New South Wales Irrigators Council, Andrew Gregson, who questioned whether the government’s $300 million irrigation efficiency program is deliberately designed to fail because of the incredibly tight deadline of six weeks for applications to be submitted. Minister, after two years of delay by your government will you now, on behalf of the government, give a guarantee that, if the $300 million is not fully utilised because of this unrealistic application time frame of just six week, the funding will be allocated to on-farm efficiency projects and not incorporated into further water buybacks?

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 her question. I would say that with the guidelines and the timelines that have been set out by the government there is an expectation that that can be completed by all those parties in a manner that is appropriate to the policy delivery that we have sought on this issue. I know that the minister responsible has been particularly assiduous in wanting to drive reform, after a 12-year of hiatus of reform on the question of water delivery in the Murray-Darling Basin, right through to where we are actually concerned about not only providing reform but also enabling the very significant challenges that we face—the challenges of drought and the challenges of water shortage and the like—to be resolved.

It is important to note that the minister has made it clear that she is frustrated with some of the pace of reform. There is no secret about that. Also, she has made it clear that she is frustrated with some of the pace of the reform that is taking place within the state jurisdictions. You are quoting a CEO from a state body, but I think it is important for me to put that on the record. The most important thing that the minister has said is that she is concerned about roadblocks and about impediments and delays. I do not think she wants to delay the reform process any longer. In fact, I know that she does not.

I will just make the House aware that, jointly with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, that department is now conducting an audit into the status of a number of projects across the basin. At the end of the day, though, I think it is worth while saying this through you, Mr Speaker, to the people of Australia as well as to the opposition: this is clearly a difficult issue that will require a fair amount of application by us to ensure that the right policy measures are in place. We cannot make it rain, although I was pleased to see Wimmera farmers are responding to the fact that they think they have got some opportunities for their crops because we have seen some decent winter rains. But at the end of the day we are committed to reform. We want to see that reform through and we will not resile from that path.

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

The minister has concluded?

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Without answering the question I might add.

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

Order! The member for Riverina has tested the patience of the chair today.