Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of representing the federal government at the opening of the $10 million Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme Augmentation, the fourth in a suite of projects completed under the Australian government's $140 million commitment to support the development of modern and efficient irrigation schemes in Tasmania after 11 years of neglect by the Liberal government. The augmentation of the scheme not only will help secure a long-term sustainable future for Tasmanian irrigation communities but will lend greater certainty to investment and productivity in local communities. It will supply an increased volume of reliable irrigation water, which in turn will provide the opportunity for greater production and more jobs in the region.

The Australian government provided funding of more than $4 million for this project, which demonstrates the government's commitment to investing in efficient and ecologically sustainable irrigation in Tasmania and helping Tasmanian irrigators produce some of the best food in the world. Projects like this one are assisting Tasmania to ensure that water resources within its irrigation sector are used in a sustainable and efficient manner whilst facilitating water reform actions under the National Water Initiative. I would like to again congratulate everyone who was involved in this project, from start to finish. I look forward to seeing it boost the productive capacity of irrigators in this region.