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. Will the minister outline how the promised 200 gigalitres of water savings from the re-engineering of Menindee Lakes will be delivered now that funding for this so-called priority work, promised in 2007 and still not started, has been cut from $400 million to $100 million?

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

The question asked by the member for Farrer goes to the importance of works and measures—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Works and measures?

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

Works and measures, for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition, is when we refer to gaining efficiencies on how efficiently we manage our environmental assets. Too much focus, to some extent, has been exclusively on an argument that says you can only find efficiencies at the irrigation end. If you want to look on farm, you will find that has been the area where people have driven efficiencies the hardest already. Centralised irrigation structures are certainly a good way to go, and that refers to the issues that were raised earlier by the member for Murray in terms of what you are doing there to improve efficiencies. Works and measures says—and this is the reason for the question for Menindee Lakes—as well as how efficient we can be with irrigation, are there ways we can more efficiently manage our environmental assets? To every extent that you can do that you free up more water for productive uses while still delivering the environmental dividend. This government is determined to make sure that for each of these individual projects—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should be in the New South Wales parliament talking this rubbish.

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

The member for Dickson describes these as rubbish.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

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

The minister will ignore the member for Dickson. The member for Dickson will stop interjecting.

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

It is terribly sad if we do not look at every possible way of trying to drive efficient use of water so that we can provide security for the environmental assets while still providing the opportunity for food production and strong regional communities. There are discussions between the Commonwealth government and the New South Wales government specific to the Menindee Lakes program. The issue there is not in terms of the quantum of money spent but to make sure that the environmental outcome is delivered.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Why is water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin needed and what would be the effects of inaction?

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

‘The greatest environmental challenge of our time.’ Those were the words of John Howard on 25 January 2007 at the National Press Club, when he announced in these words: ‘The plan I have outlined today is detailed, it is costed, it has been in preparation for some time; it represents a fundamental response to the greatest environmental challenge of our time, and that is of water scarcity.’ Those words drive home the fact that the challenges we have in front of us have come forward through a sensible reform that was initiated by the member for Wentworth but is now trying to be spiked by the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2007 there was recognition up and down the basin of the dangers of overallocation. There was recognition up and down the basin that the environmental interests and the long-term interests of irrigators were aligned. Whether it is from the algal blooms running up and down the river systems or whether it is from the growth of acid sulphate soils, it was well understood that if you do not have a healthy river it is not just bad environmentally; it is unacceptable for irrigators and unacceptable for the towns and communities that rely on them. That is why decisions were taken for the first time with the support of each side of this House to make sure that we could move towards having a sustainable system in the Murray-Darling. That is why commitments were made to make sure that money was available for infrastructure, for buy-backs and for environmental works and measures and to make sure that Australia no longer continued mistakes that have been made for about 100 years, where one river system was being run as though the state boundaries made a difference to the health of the river system. That is why the former Prime Minister described this as ‘the greatest environmental challenge of our time’. And that is why the Leader of the Opposition is not going to get away with wanting to walk away from a commitment that the Murray-Darling Basin needs.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question certainly follows on from that statement. My question is also to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Yesterday the minister claimed that he would not attend community briefings on the Murray-Darling Basin guide because he did not want to be ‘looking over the shoulder of an independent inquiry’. As the minister is now meeting with irrigator peak groups in the familiar surrounds of Canberra and as this is the great moral dilemma of our time, why won’t he travel to meet face to face with irrigators at one of the remaining 19 community briefings in the basin?

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

Last Friday I did exactly what the honourable member described. I went and met with irrigators, as I will continue to do. What I will not do is decide that when an independent authority are conducting consultation on their own independent document it is somehow the time for me to be popping up. In the question reference was made to meetings that I am having with irrigators tonight. I met with the New South Wales Irrigators Council yesterday. More meetings—that have been referred to in the question—are taking place tonight. This is no different to the meetings that have been taking place for as long as I have been a minister in this House and that I have continued since I became the minister for water.

The work of the authority has to be conducted independently, but ultimately the document that is called the plan is the one that has the involvement at a ministerial level. So I will be making sure the whole way through that there is a very direct involvement, and the consultation of me being physically out there is how I have done my job the whole time that I have been a minister.

In terms of dealing with this draft document let us not forget that there is only one side of parliament in this room that made a commitment to implement the draft plan. Those were the words of the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition has so much confidence in the independence of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority that he was not even willing to wait until we got to the final consultation period. He was not willing to wait for any of that. He was going to take the draft and implement that. We will allow them to conduct their independent consultation—

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr John Cobb interjecting

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

The member for Calare!

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

and that will not stop me as minister consistently being involved in direct consultation in my role.