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

Regarding the three amendments, none of which the government is proposing to support, the first relates to the encouragement of other agencies. I assume that the policy objective behind this is to try to ensure that there is a whole-of-government approach. I suggest again to Senator Siewert that this sort of legislative direction is neither necessary to achieve it nor going to ensure that it occurs. Obviously there is a political accountability issue here. It could also create some complexities. For example, if you have particular statutory agencies such as the ACCC or the National Water Commission, which might have their own set of obligations or objects which are applicable to them under other pieces of legislation, to then have to have some legislative form of requirement, via the authority, to also pursue the objects of this act seems to us to be a rather complex way to try to achieve the policy outcome.

We recognise the benefit of giving the authority responsibility for meeting the objects of the act within the scope of the functions, and we do not believe this amendment really deals with the broader policy issue I assume is behind it: making sure that government seeks to improve through other activities the overall health of the basin. Obviously, in terms of compliance with the law, government, whether it is state or federal, must obey the law, and the Basin Plan will be a legislative instrument. In relation to amendments (19) and (20), we do not support these. I think we previously had a discussion on them. I suggest that the issues of wetlands and water dependent ecosystems are already dealt with in the current functions of the authority enumerated in section 172.

Question negatived.