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

Thank you to Senator Xenophon for this question. The Commonwealth’s involvement in this issue is primarily as a party to the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement, which, as the senator would be aware, provides for the sustainable management of Lake Eyre. The forum is chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary for Water, Dr Kelly, and it is this forum which will be oversighting the management of the Lake Eyre Basin for some nine years. This IGA, which was signed in 2000, is given effect under legislation in each jurisdiction. I can advise the senator that at a recent meeting of the ministerial forum this year the Queensland government advised that the existing Cooper Creek water resource plan was scheduled to expire on 1 September 2010. As required under Queensland water law, the Queensland government has previously announced its intention to prepare a new draft water resource plan for Cooper Creek for public consideration later this year. The advice provided to the ministerial forum was that a draft of this resource plan will be released for public comment later this year. I am also advised that socioeconomic, hydrologic and ecological assessments are being used to inform the development of the draft plan.

It is the case that there are some sleeper licences, where no extraction has commenced, and what are known as dozer licences, where pumps are in place but are not yet used, which are able to be activated now under the existing resource plan provided strict licence and land-use conditions are met. The senator is correct that it is possible that activation of these licences together with the potential to enable trade and water entitlements in Cooper Creek could have an adverse impact on the river flows and flood plain inundation to the detriment of areas, including the Coongie Lakes Ramsar site. I again say that the Queensland government has informed— (Time expired)