Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I will not labour the point too much longer but I do want to be able to respond to Senator Joyce, who has just exposed the fact that the coalition have no commitment to making sure that the plan that passes this place, as drafted currently, is actually going to be the plan that continues to exist, because these targets as outlined in this amendment are what is currently making up the government's legislation—their 450 legislation—and the requirement of the plan in relation to meeting the 3,200 gigalitres figure. So we have just exposed the fact that the coalition has absolutely no commitment to ensuring that this plan returns the water to the river in the future. Their whole strategy is to pass this plan, to then relegate it down and to make sure that none of these targets are actually met. Senator Joyce just stood here and said, 'If we let this through we will not possibly be able to do any of it.' These are exactly the things that the government is already trying to do—that the authority already has on the table. You either agree with them or you don't.

The CHAIRMAN: The question is that Greens amendments (5) and (1) on sheet 7310 be agreed to.

Debate interupted.

Progress reported.