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

Just to respond briefly to some of what I think were not particularly reasonable assertions by Senator Brown, he seems to be suggesting that the provisions in the act, because they use words such as ‘may’, is parliament ducking responsibility. Senator Brown, this is a plan developed by the independent authority that your party supports. You support an independent authority. And what I am saying is that the government is committed, that it does believe we should address the impact of activities such as mining on water resources and that the act enables the authority to make an assessment independent of government about how that should occur. So I appreciate it, Senator Brown, if you do not agree with that pathway, but I think it is unfair to characterise this as somehow ducking the issue. What we are saying is that we are setting up a policy process here, an independent authority, to look at this issue as with other issues. If the authority believes either that a study is required or that a licence is required, that can be included in the basin plan for the reasons I set out. So I did want to make clear the basis on which the government was of the view that this was not a necessary amendment. If the parliament thinks it is the body that by legislation should put all the bits of the basin plan together, I suggest that is not actually in the best interests of the basin, broadly. I accept that Senator Brown has a view about why this needs to be put in in this form. I simply say that the reason I made reference to the authority is that that is the independent body that is putting together the basin plan in the context of the legislation.