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

I note that the Greens in Victoria have also been part of this referral. I simply remind them that the government in this chamber has agreed to a Senate inquiry to enable scrutiny, and we hope that they can expedite these processes in the Victorian parliament.

Frankly, this is precisely what we should expect from those opposite when it comes to the Murray River. What we know is that they go down to South Australia, and they demand urgent national reform. Then they cross the border into Victoria and they pull the rug out from under the reform process. What we know about those opposite is that, when it comes to water, as with so many other things, you cannot listen to what they say; you have to look at what they do. After 11 years of doing nothing, their leader, Mr Turnbull, tried and failed to secure a national water reform plan. Now, despite all their protestations, they are still trying to stop the Rudd government from delivering the reforms that are needed for the long-term future of the Murray-Darling.