Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question. Minister, I acknowledge that it is complex and that rural water use represents 75 per cent of the total water used in this country. However, how much has been spent on drought relief and how much on fixing the 30 per cent—at least—loss of agricultural water from seepage and evaporation, for instance? For how long has your government been told that piping irrigation water and better irrigation techniques are necessary? Does it not make more sense to spend money on saving water for the farmers now facing yet another disastrous drought year?