Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Will the minister update the House on the progress of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin? Are there any risks to achieving water reform, and how has the recent Senate inquiry into the Water Act been received?

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 Hindmarsh for the question. As a South Australian he is all too aware of the challenges that have been faced by the Murray-Darling for so long. We have a river system that was run as though it would respect state boundaries. You cannot have a situation where an environmental asset and an asset that has such a value to communities up and down the basin is managed in a way that pretends that state boundaries matter. You cannot have one set of rules in the north of the basin and presume a different set of rules in the south will work. That was understood by former Prime Minister John Howard. It was even understood by the member for Wentworth. The states are now working in a more cooperative way. In fact the only example that we can now find of where there is one set of messages in the north of the basin and another set of messages in the south is the way the coalition are choosing to manage this issue.

We heard earlier in question time today about an inquiry that was well received, an inquiry chaired by the member for New England, in which all sides of politics on the committee were able to agree in a unanimous report. Members might not be aware of the inquiry that was originally called for by Senator Barnaby Joyce in the Senate. So proud were the opposition of the outcomes of that, it was released with great fanfare at four o'clock on Friday afternoon last week. When it was first called for Senator Joyce said:

It's very important now, while I have an inquiry examining the Water Act, that changes to the Water Act take place so as to change the outcome.

Make no mistake, the reason Senator Joyce wanted to call for the Water Act to be opened up was to stop the reform. It was as simple as that. He knew full well that the moment you opened up the Water Act the Murray-Darling Basin Authority could not continue with its current work and it would have to pause the reform. That was why they wanted to open up the act. It is an act that was well drafted by the member for Wentworth when he held this portfolio. It is an act that plenty of members of the coalition have said that they were quite proud of and quite happy with. But Senator Joyce continues to go up and down irrigation communities calling for the Water Act to be opened up.

We now have South Australian members of parliament who have decided that they disagree, and disagree strongly, with what Senator Joyce is saying to the irrigation communities. They have decided to send their messages out in a way that Senator Joyce will never find. They have decided to use Twitter and by using Twitter, of course using internet technology rather than carrier pigeon, Barnaby will never know. We had Senator Birmingham tweeting: 'In response to the inquiry I suspect it will be of little consequence. What matters more is what is in the draft Basin Plan.'

But I think nothing beats the rejection of Senator Joyce and the coalition dominated inquiry in the Senate, and nothing beats the response that was put forward by the member for Mayo, who was briefly in the chamber earlier today. The member for Mayo said: 'It's a Senate committee report. If a tree falls in the forest ...' That was his tweet. The tweet from the member for Mayo was saying, 'Well, we can effectively ignore.' What the coalition have to realise on this is that the days of being able to run one set of messages in the north of the basin and a different set of messages at the South Australian end all come to an end when we vote in this chamber.

At the beginning of next year there will be a Murray-Darling Basin Plan. It will have been given to us by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, it will have gone to the ministerial council and it will come to this chamber for a vote. We will finally find out whether or not the coalition is willing to see basin reform once and for all.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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