Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the Acting Prime Minister update the House on the investment that the Commonwealth is making into water infrastructure in the Mallee and around the country? Why is it important for hardworking Australians to continue reform that boosts productivity in our economy?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. It was great to get down into the Mallee to see the work that this government is doing in upgrading the water infrastructure; to have a look over the new water pumps that are lifting water out—a $120 million investment, of which we invested $103 million; to see the benefit that has for the 2,000 farmers who are going to be taking delivery of that water through the new pipelines which are taking the place of channels; and to appreciate the seven gigalitres of water that we are putting back into the environment as part of our obligations there.

But it is not just there we are working; we are also working in places such as the South West Loddon pipeline, with the construction of 1,200 kilometres of pipeline to connect the west Waranga channel with the Wimmera Mallee pipeline. This is making a real difference. This is a government that is actually delivering on water infrastructure, actually building water infrastructure, actually making sure our nation is a stronger place and making sure that we invest in the record turnaround we have had in agricultural exports. These pipelines—the Wimmera Mallee pipeline and the South West Loddon pipeline—will supply about 780 megalitres of water and will create an extra 130 jobs.

I also went to Gippsland with the member for Gippsland. There we noted what we are doing with the Macalister Irrigation District, with our investment there to work hand-in-glove with the dairy industry, so that we get a better return and a better outcome for those people as well. All through this nation we are hearing what the Australian people are saying, and they are saying they want the tactile delivery of real infrastructure—real infrastructure that takes our nation forward, real infrastructure such as you would see in the Rookwood Weir in the member for Capricornia's and the member for Flynn's electorates. In those areas, too, we know that with the construction of Rookwood Weir will see in excess of 1,000 jobs—well, in excess of 2,000 jobs, actually—and an extra billion dollars a year in income coming in to that district.

This is the story of a government that believes in water infrastructure, that is delivering on water infrastructure, and that has put $2½ billion on the table for further construction of water infrastructure. We are going to make sure that we leave this nation a better place, with the same vision that we have seen before with the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. One of the ways that this nation and this government can be clearly identified is that we are a government that believes in building the infrastructure for a stronger future and for a greater future; we are the government that has turned around our agricultural exports and the returns our nation has got, and we will be the government that delivers a better outcome for all those in regional Australia.