Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to add my support to this legislation, the Water Amendment Bill 2008, which is another example of the Rudd Labor government honouring its commitment to the Australian people. It is historic legislation built on a foundation of unprecedented agreement and unity between the Murray-Darling Basin jurisdictions and the Commonwealth.

One year ago this government was elected on a platform which included a promise to end the blame game between Canberra and the states and territories. Voters made a clear choice for nationwide cooperation and collaboration on important issues. The Australian people also told us they were concerned, even worried and fearful, about the consequences of the Howard government’s 11½ years of scepticism and inertia on climate change and water. Their votes called for decisive action, and that is what this legislation before us today is about. It is overdue and it is urgent. And, importantly, we want to and must get it right.

It is government reform that will set the Murray-Darling Basin on a better path as we face and address what is in reality a national crisis. This bill paves the way for the basin to have a viable future and be managed nationally as one river system blind to state borders. Rivers do not stop at state borders. For almost a century the basin has been held hostage by a largely unchanged governance model that required each of its jurisdictions to sing from the same song sheet before anything could be done. This set-up often resulted in decisions that were not in the best interest of the whole basin and its environment. The basin is now, as Minister Wong has pointed out, ‘in very bad shape’. However, in 1914, the architects of the River Murray Waters Agreement and founders of the River Murray Commission could hardly have foreseen the terrible triad which has sucked the life out of the basin—record low inflows, the overallocation of resources and the onset of climate change.

We are all only too well aware that we have reached a critical point in our national story. This is essentially a point of no return and the challenge is enormous. There are variables that underpin this challenge, including that of climate change and the extended drought. Coupled with too many years of injudicious water usage and resource distribution, they have become a poison impacting negatively on the health of the whole Murray-Darling system. Left unaddressed, the result will be increasing social, ecological and economic damage.

Along the great Murray-Darling system, water has dropped to levels generally unseen, unknown and unheard of in living memory, which is an unprecedented position. In my own state of South Australia we have a situation in which the government is putting in place measures to reduce the exposure of acid sulphate sediments in lakes Albert and Alexandrina. The environmental, economic and social costs are high. I am pleased to say, however, that the South Australian Labor government and its neighbours along the Murray-Darling system have entered into a historic agreement with the federal government. This agreement has been conceived so as to more fairly and appropriately manage water allocation, the environmental damages, the depredations of climate change and the social and economic transitions that will be required to go forward for the basin to have a future.

I am pleased to say also that South Australia has taken a leading role in fashioning the legislative framework we discussed today. Indeed, South Australia was the first state to introduce legislation to refer powers in the context of water management. Yet, despite the significance of this and associated legislation, a cautionary note must be sounded. There is no miracle overnight cure for the present plight of our rivers and the basin as a whole—no quick fix, no silver bullet and no simple answer. The Murray’s situation means that there are no easy options but only hard decisions when it comes to restoring the health of the once mighty river.

The opposition, hopelessly divided on water and downrightly dismissive on climate change, has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding and responsibility regarding the difficult choices that must be made. Those opposite should cease and desist the political game playing that has seen the Murray and the Lower Lakes degenerate. In stark contrast, the government has already been rolling up its sleeves and is keen to face the challenges head on and bring about remedy and restoration.

There is no doubt that the necessary reforms will take time to implement. Patience is a quality well appreciated by those who have seen our mighty rivers on their journey through the body of this land. It has taken much negotiation and no small measure of goodwill to arrive at this point. We are now in a position to pass into law reforms that will foster and grow a new era of unity and partnership between our state, territory and federal colleagues. Together our aim is to better manage the system that has so generously nourished our land since the Dreamtime.

The bill will achieve this by amending the Water Act 2007 and by giving effect to the intergovernmental agreement on Murray-Darling Basin reform, which was signed in July by the Prime Minister and by the heads of the basin states and territories. It is a step towards placing a scientifically established cap on basin water use and it will underpin a long-term plan for the whole of the basin. Specifically, it will transfer the purposes and powers of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission to the new Murray-Darling Basin Authority. As law, the legislation will also strengthen the role of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission by expanding the application of water market rules and water charge rules.

A key role for the independent expert basin authority will be to prepare a basin-wide plan over which the federal minister will have final say. To ensure that it is the best possible plan, the ministerial council of basin governments will provide advice.

Under this bill, the Basin Plan will see that the critical human needs of the one million Australians relying on the Murray for drinking water are met. The bill’s reform will dovetail with the Rudd Labor government’s 10-year, $12.9 billion Water for the Future plan, which was announced by the Minister for Climate Change and Water in April in order to secure the water supply of all Australians. It is the first ever nationwide plan for both rural and urban water. The plan addresses four key priorities: tackling climate change, using water wisely, securing water supplies and supporting healthy rivers. Measures under Water for the Future include a $3.1 billion investment in buying water for the basin to improve the river’s health; the allocation of $5.8 billion for irrigation infrastructure projects and to help basin communities to adjust to a new cap; and a $1.5 billion injection towards improving water security for our cities and towns through measures such as desalination, rainwater and grey water initiatives.

As I pointed out in this chamber last year, Labor’s focus on water is not new. It is about a long-term, serious and sincere commitment to the health and prosperity of our nation, our major river system, our towns and cities and our people. For decades we have called for, backed and initiated moves to improve water planning and resources. Labor has spoken out about the need for national leadership in this crucial area since the 1980s. Under the Keating government, true national water reform began with the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement and the Murray-Darling Basin Bill of 1992 and the historic bipartisan COAG agreement of 1994.

There was no doubt that Paul Keating understood the importance of this network of waterways. In December 1992 he said:

The Murray-Darling is Australia’s greatest river system, a basic source of our wealth, a real and symbolic artery of the nation’s economic health, and a place where Australian legends were born. Nowhere is the link between the Australian environment, the Australian economy and Australian culture better described.

Now that symbolic artery needs our help and our commitment to change. This bill will enable the Murray-Darling Basin to be truly managed in the national interest, for the first time. This move will optimise social, environmental and economic outcomes for the whole of the system—those who rely on it for life, for leisure and for livelihood. Therefore, I commend this bill to the Senate.