Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition parties have enormous sympathy for the overwhelming content of this motion and the majority of what the Greens, through Senator Hanson-Young and Senator Siewert, are seeking to achieve. We certainly recognise the importance of the Ramsar wetlands and especially—as you would well know, Mr Deputy President—those in South Australia and the Lower Lakes regions. We believe that the deals struck by the Rudd government with the states are flawed deals, that they do not provide for effective national management and that we should see more urgent action in the Lower Lakes.

However, we also believe that arrangements with those who hold existing irrigation licences and have interests throughout the basin need to be fair and reasonable. Unfortunately, one of the reasons we oppose this resolution is that this motion appears to call for the taking away of such rights and licences in a premature way that may not have appropriate compensation or support for them. We have tried to negotiate a single amendment with the Greens to ensure support for this motion. Regrettably, they have rejected that and we are unable to support the motion, but I do place on record our support for 95 per cent of the motion and our concern about how we provide that assistance and support to irrigation communities to adjust, rather than taking away their rights.