Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister rule out reselling environmental water entitlements in the Murray-Darling back to irrigators? Has the Prime Minister abandoned his own reforms and is this the price that he had to pay to become Prime Minister?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again the Labor Party misses the whole point about water. The two architects of the National Plan for Water Security were the former Prime Minister Mr Howard and me.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I introduced the Water Act in 2007, and the object of the Water Act, as you know, was to ensure a more sustainable use of water through the Murray-Darling Basin for both farmers, irrigators, in particular, and of course for the environment. All of that legislation is now well in place. I see the honourable member opposite who was minister for water during the Labor government and well remembers it. This is a very well-settled reform. It is a very solid and secure reform. What the honourable member overlooks is that the government is investing more than $12 billion—

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. Will the Prime Minister rule out reselling environmental—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will resume her seat. The Prime Minister is relevant to the question.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The management of water in the Murray-Darling Basin is a very complex matter. It was in the too-hard basket for over a century, and the honourable member, as a South Australian—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

should understand that it was a coalition government, it was the Howard government, that for the first time took national responsibility for water in the Murray-Darling Basin. Labor governments had taken no interest in this. It was our side of politics that recognised the challenge of managing water, and managing water as between the environment and agriculture is always a complex management issue.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kingston will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But of course the problem with the Labor Party is that they regard every single farmer, every single irrigator, as an environmental vandal. They do not accept that water has to be sustainably managed through the system by farmers, by irrigators, by townships and by the environment. The sustainable management of the Murray-Darling Basin is one of the greatest achievements of the Howard government. It was nearly wrecked by the Labor Party in government but fortunately survived and is now back in good hands. We care about water, we know about water and we know that the best environmentalists in Australia, the ones that understand the water and the country better than anyone, are Australia's farmers.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide will cease interjecting. The minister will cease interjecting. The member for Swan will resume his seat. The member for Kingston continued to interject right through the answer. I had asked her not to interject. She is warned and the member for Adelaide is warned as well.