Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

In my original answer I referred to the election commitments that we have delivered through Water for the Future, which include the $1 billion National Urban Water and Desalination Plan, which will be available to cities with a population of 50,000 people or more. Senators might recall that under the previous government—now the opposition—the then Treasurer made it clear that the Howard government did not believe that the federal government had any role to play in securing urban water supplies. People in South Australia were very interested to hear that.

We do not share that view on this side of the chamber. We as a government are prepared to put our shoulders to the wheel. When it comes to the issue of urban water supplies, we will deliver on a $1 billion election commitment to assist state governments and the private sector in delivering urban water supplies. We do not agree with Mr Costello’s statement—and I do not know if it is still opposition policy—that the federal government has no role in urban water. (Time expired)