Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I thought that one of the hallmarks allegedly of the Australian Democrats was transparency and accountability, and one way that the Australian people get accountability is through the ballot box. I understand that the Democrats find that a painful experience but, nevertheless, in Australian politics you get accountability through the ballot box. Something as important as the Murray-Darling proposal, we believe, should be vested in those people who are ultimately answerable to the people. Therefore, we believe that there needs to be the sort of responsibility regime in place that we are proposing. To suggest that you can just park it off to the side to people who are unaccountable to the Australian people at the ballot box is not acceptable to us.

Having answered the latter part of his question, I have sought to go through the briefing notes that I have in front of me. I have all sorts of very interesting briefings in relation to the Murray-Darling commission and those matters that have been in the media in recent times, but not in relation to the article to which the honourable senator refers. Therefore, I will take that part of his question on notice.