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. Will the minister update the House on the government and the community's reaction to the release of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's proposed plan?

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

I find it extraordinary that despite the fact a report on the Murray-Darling Basin was released yesterday morning we go through two question times without any interest at all from those opposite, no interest at all. We have 15 members opposite who have seats within the Basin. Do you remember 1½ years ago when the guide came out? There was question after question of people interrogating the document. There was question after question of members of the opposition wanting to take an interest. Whether they were in the northern end, whether they were through the Murray system, whether they were at the South Australian end, they were taking an interest in where this reform would go. And that was before we entered the statutory process.

We now find ourselves at the final stages of a statutory process and not a word from those opposite. There has not been a single word or moment of interest. This is the reform that John Howard described as the greatest environmental challenge of our generation. The member for Wentworth brought the legislation into this parliament in his time as Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, actually caring about wanting to do something about this. And yet all we have from the opposition now, after two days to work it through, to read it, to work out what they think, is silence.

It is not like there is not a capacity to have an opinion on this. The Australian Conservation Foundation said it believed the revised plan fails a whole lot of river health targets. The National Irrigators' Council view it as unacceptable for the opposite reason. The National Farmers' Federation believes there needs to be a shift in emphasis towards infrastructure. The New South Wales Irrigators' Council reckon it is Armageddon. It is not hard to have an opinion on this.

From the government's perspective, I have made clear it has done the right thing on ground water. I do not think it has gone far enough on the environmental ambition that you can have for this sort of reform. But all we get from the Leader of the Opposition is him turning up to a meeting of thousands of people in Griffith and when they say, 'We want you to vote this down because there's too much water in it', he says, 'Don't worry, I won't support a bad plan'. Then he goes out to the front steps of Parliament House and to a whole lot of conservationists, who are saying, 'We don't think there's enough water in it', he says to the opposite crowd, 'Don't worry, I won't support a bad plan.' You cannot have the situation. Who would have thought that he was gearing up to vote no? Who would have thought that he would go to every audience and pretend he is on their side, when the conclusion every time is the same word: no? When it comes to Murray-Darling reform, Australia has been waiting for generations for there to be national control of the Murray-Darling Basin, and it will occur this year.

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

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