Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Could the minister clarify the part of my question which he did not answer, which was whether the Commonwealth would ensure there is no reduction in environmental flows as a consequence of tomorrow’s meeting, as has been called for by some local government authorities? Would the minister also indicate whether the water trading regime, which is planned to start from mid next year, will require realistic pricing of water? Can he also indicate, given that climate change will almost certainly lead to more prolonged droughts, high evaporation and reduced rainfall, whether tomorrow’s water crisis summit will include discussion about the need for state as well as federal governments to do more to meet the threat of climate change?