Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the government’s intent in obviously trying to maximise the value of their investment. One would expect that to be the outcome. We are trying to ensure that that is in fact given a legislative base. Section 86AA(2)(b) is clear: where there are any water entitlements savings they are to be shared. So, where there has already been an agreement, that investment will result in a share between the environment and the existing titleholder. That in fact requires that the existing licence holder’s access entitlement is reduced by 50 per cent. Does that mean that the government will be investing in some infrastructure where they will not be ensuring that the return of the savings will not be reduced by 50 per cent? That is what we are asking. We want to ensure that, where there is investment and an agreement is reached in terms of how much of the savings will be returned, that is actually what happens. It is about ensuring that, where an agreement is reached, it is given a legislative base.