Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. When the Deputy Prime Minister personally insisted on receiving the water portfolio in September 2015, did he keep secret from the Prime Minister his intention to undermine the additional 450 gigalitres in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan? Did the Prime Minister have any idea prior to Friday that his deputy had put in writing that the Basin Plan would not be completed, and since then, has the Prime Minister, in any way, reprimanded the Deputy Prime Minister for free ranging on the Basin Plan?

Mr Hunt interjecting—

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

The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.

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

Characteristically, from the opposition, we have one misrepresentation after another. The fact is the government is committed to the Basin Plan. If I may just remind honourable members, the section I referred to from the Basin Plan was from the Basin Plan 2012, so this is a plan that the honourable member is very familiar with. Indeed, I see here on the front page:

I, Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities…

Gosh, no wonder he was so busy with all of those things to do. He could not pay attention to water. There it is. This is the plan the honourable member promulgated as minister, and the section to which I referred is in his plan, and that is part of the plan to which we are committed.