Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have an important announcement. The member for Sydney will walk in here in a few minutes with a brand new title: the worst water and environment minister this parliament has ever seen. And it has been achieved by delivering a magnificent trifecta, managing to upset her stakeholders, her own side of politics and the Greens all in the space of one week.

Last Thursday, the minister was headline act at the Murray-Darling Basin's annual conference, when 300 people gathered in Albury to hear her plans for the two million people who live and work in the basin. What did we get? A TV screen with a three-minute video on removing water from agriculture, and, 'Oh, and here's $300 million to keep quiet.' Senator Hanson-Young this week derided the same minister for withholding funding and killing off the Coorong. And after cancelling the last two water ministerial council meetings, the gold medal comes because this Friday's gathering also won't be in person, and won't last very long. It's a one-hour teleconference—one single hour.

But don't let just me applaud the minister's work. Here's her Victorian counterpart, Minister Harriet Shing: 'We're talking about Australia's food bowl. Farmers are going to be suffering real and irreparable costs and damage as a result of this legislation.' That's Victoria's Labor water minister.

In this country, actions speak louder than words. I desperately want to see action from this Prime Minister. Perhaps he can do us an extra favour over the break—(Time expired.)