Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Why is the expenditure on major water-saving infrastructure and on-farm efficiency $400 million behind the original schedule? When will the minister release a timetable for the implementation of the $5.8 billion of investment infrastructure allocated to the Murray-Darling Basin by the Howard government in 2007?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo for the question. As the member for Mayo’s question acknowledges, we are talking about reforms that began under the Howard government, and I am very pleased to hear that being acknowledged. The level of bipartisanship sometimes gets forgotten in moments in here but on water it has been there.

The $5.8 billion that was referred to refers beyond the on-farm irrigation to actual centralised irrigation infrastructure—that is the $5.8 billion that was referred to in the question. Those applications have come in from the states and there is a process of due diligence that the department quite properly is going through in making the assessment on those individual state applications for that money. If there is a call for the due diligence not to occur, I would be surprised by that. It is a large amount of money and the due diligence work that is going on is appropriate.

Opposition Member:

It is a real howdy doody show.

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

I’ll give you howdy doody, Member for North Sydney.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Why is reform needed to move towards a more sustainable future in the Murray-Darling Basin?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kingston for the question, which is broad ranging and allows me to deal with some of the broader issues around the Murray-Darling Basin, in particular the concept of just how bipartisan this issue has been. On 11 August, three members of the opposition released the following words:

The coalition will release a draft basin plan within two weeks of coming to office and proceed with its implementation without delay. Labor’s delays must come to an end.

The three members of the opposition who released that statement on 11 August were Senator Birmingham, Senator Joyce and the Leader of the Opposition. So, for all the criticism that we hear about the government in terms of a guide to a draft of a plan, the opposition actually were not going to wait for the final plan. The opposition were going to implement the draft without delay within two weeks. In a media release in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, which I table, they had committed to implement the draft plan.

There are three priorities that this parliament is going to have to get right in water reform. They are about having a healthy river, the importance of food production and the importance and sustainability of regional communities.

There has been a lot of misinformation over the last week, which I would like to clear up here in the chamber. There has been an argument that the guide to the draft of a plan released by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority represents government policy. It does not. There is a belief in many communities that the government will forcibly acquire water from people. We will not. There is a belief that the plan, whatever it ends up being at the end of next year, will not take account of the good work already done in many communities. It will. There is a long process to go with this reform, but there is a huge cost in doing nothing. There is not only the impact of acid sulphate soils that we have seen in the Lower Lakes, as the member for Kingston would know all too well. There is not only the impact that we have seen from an unhealthy river system over the last decade, with algae going up and down in many parts of it. There is not only the impact on 16 Ramsar-listed wetlands. But I would remind the House that in the Lower Lakes area not that many years ago there were 23 dairy operations. As salinity started to take over the Lower Lakes, the count went from 23 down to three. Let us not pretend that this is somehow a simple old-style battle of environment versus production. Everybody up and down the Murray-Darling Basin has an interest in having a healthy river system. There was a good deal more bipartisanship across the years on this issue than might have been reflected over the last couple of days. But let me remind the House that it is important and it is incumbent on this parliament to get that balance right. It is important that this parliament gets the balance right across those three issues: a healthy river system, the importance of food production and sustainable regional communities.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Is the Treasurer aware of the advice provided to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority by an independent banking consultant that the mere release of the Guide to the proposed basin plan could cause a write-down in farm asset values, triggering a breach of loan covenants and providing banks with a reason to call in their loans? What discussions have you had personally with the banks to dissuade them from penalising farmers in this way?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. It is a very important question. I can tell him that the Australian Bankers Association has said that banks are not foreclosing on customers due to the release of the guide. So, if he has some further information that he would like to give to me, I would be very happy to follow up on that. This is a serious question. I do take it seriously, so if there is further information that would, if you like, add an extra view to what the Australian Bankers Association is saying I would certainly be pleased to hear that.

The government does have a commitment to the security of people who live in the basin. We have a commitment to the security of families and we have a commitment to environmental sustainability, because the two are linked, and to pull the two apart is simply not possible. Everybody knows how difficult an issue this is—whether you come from Queensland or whether you are living in South Australia or any point in between. The government takes these issues seriously and I would be happy to follow them up if there was any further information.

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

My question is to the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts. How will the parliament inform the government’s consideration of measures to deliver sustainable outcomes in the Murray-Darling Basin?

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I know the long interest he has taken in water sustainability in his state—his municipality—and I was pleased that he was involved in the Murray-Darling Basin consultation sessions in Renmark last Friday. I congratulate him for his interest.

The question is the significance of the engagement of the parliamentary committee which is to be established. It has a threefold purpose. Firstly, the plan that the government brings to the parliament has to be approved by the parliament. It is therefore terribly important that we engage the parliament in the process. The cabinet had a discussion about this almost two weeks ago. We discussed how we could engage the parliamentary process. It was as a result of that that I spoke to the member for New England, and the terms of reference were developed in consultation. I am looking forward to the work of that committee. I think the committee has an important role to play.

The second reason it is important for parliament to be engaged is so that it can help us get the balance that is being talked about and which gets derision from time to time on the other side. The fact is that we have been presented with a guide from the Murray-Darling Basin Commission that goes to the flows necessary—in their view, based on the science—to get sustainability of the water system. What we also need is sustainability of the economies and of the communities. We need to ensure that we are getting the human factor involved. The socioeconomic consequences are vital. The truth is that there have been important advances made in many of the communities down the Murray-Darling Basin. What we want is the engagement of parliament to help get that balance and to complement the guide that has been put forward by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The third reason the parliamentary committee will be important is that it will help us focus on the local involvement. It is important to look at the terms of reference that we have circulated in relation to it, requiring consideration of valley-by-valley initiatives, recognising the effect of initiatives already taken and looking at where water buybacks and infrastructure have worked—in other words, to help us develop best practice in coming to grips with the solutions. We as a government believe that it is terribly important in facing up to these issues of diversity that are consequent upon our geography and our environment that we engage localism in arriving at those decisions.

There is no difficulty in facing up to the local communities. What we want to do, though, is make sure that those local communities do not just get angry but channel their interest in this issue to constructive solutions. I hope that members on the other side of the House understand the opportunity that this parliamentary committee presents, that they get behind it, that they get involved and that they come forward with constructive solutions. That is what we are prepared to do on this side of the House, and I look forward to working with the member for New England in achieving that outcome.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. There are 19 community briefings on the Murray-Darling Basin plan in the next three weeks. I note that to date no minister has attended any such briefing. Which of the 19 meetings yet to be held will the minister be attending?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Farrer for the question. As I have said publicly, I as minister will not be looking over the shoulder of and watching an independent authority consult on its own document. Quite properly, I as minister did not have a role—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The minister will resume his seat until the House comes to order. The question has been asked, and the minister was responding to the question. The minister has the call.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Quite properly, the independent authority developed the guide as an independent authority without ministerial interference. They will then go and conduct their consultation on that document, on their own. I have, as members opposite know from their own electorates and their visits to their own electorates, over the past three years constantly been in and out of irrigation communities and continue to be so.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Truss interjecting

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is the reason why last Friday I was in one of the irrigation communities in the electorate of the member for Parkes. But I am not going to meetings looking over the shoulder of an independent authority. I notice the Leader of the Nationals. The Leader of the Nationals says, ‘When are you going to go to Griffith?’ When he was minister for agriculture, the front page of the local paper there, the Griffith Area News, ran the heading ‘Where’s Warren?’ because he never visited.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The minister will resume his seat. I advise the minister to ignore the interjections and that the interjections cease. If you want to have a debate, find other avenues throughout the parliamentary day. Question time is not the time.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An independent authority has put forward an independent guide and is conducting its own consultation with reference to one thing: legislation that was carried under the Howard government and carried through by the member for Wentworth—legislation which has been bipartisan the whole way through. I will be visiting, as I always have, each and every one of those irrigation districts, but when we refer to Griffith let us not forget that it is known as the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and that newspaper report I mentioned referred to the Leader of the Nationals as MIA in the MIA.