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

We are not supportive of this amendment. The assertion was made that the government might not be doing the right thing. The minister and the government are not the enforcers of the Basin Plan. It is the authority—an independent authority—which has the power under the bill, and the act, to enforce. It is an authority that is going to be publicly accountable for its actions. The assumption behind the amendment is that there may be potential omission, error or failure to act by the independent body that we are, in fact, establishing. We would suggest the amendment is unnecessary, particularly given the powers which the government is proposing to enable the authority to have.