Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I will not detain the Senate for an inordinate period of time, and I understand I may have a limited amount. I also want to draw the Senate’s attention to the fact that the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport has a reference before it in relation to Murray-Darling Basin legislation. The matter was referred to the committee on 7 December, and it proposes changes to the legislation which are completely inconsistent with the government’s announced approach of taking over control of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Senator Wong has just very clearly indicated the absolute contradiction in the government’s response to the longstanding Senate committee report on rural water usage, which was, as I understand it, prepared and lodged in December and published in January. But on 7 December, the government introduced legislation into the House of Representatives which also confirms that the government’s position in early December was completely inconsistent with the position that the Prime Minister announced in relation to the takeover of the Murray-Darling Basin. When the government gets it wrong, when the government breaks the rules in relation to the time it takes to respond to reports, as it did with this response, and when it produces the response out of session, it is ironic that the production of that response, and indeed the legislation that I refer to, proves absolutely that this government throughout December did not consider its proposal to take over the Murray-Darling Basin and that it has lately come to that view.

Frankly, it is about time that the Prime Minister came clean and admitted that this is an election year plan—a plan to announce spending which they have not properly considered nor properly costed because it gives a good media burst. Frankly, it is not good enough for a government that has been in power for approaching 11 years to now say, ‘We have a solution.’ It is about spending money some way. We are going to explore that. The solution is the important thing. We are also aware that this is a very politically clever Prime Minister and this is a politically clever ploy. It is not in the interests of the Murray-Darling Basin at all; it is in the interests of the Liberal Party. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.