Bob Day (SA, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

My questions is to Senator Colbeck, the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Annual allocation of water, known as temporary water, is now being sold in Australia's food bowl, the Murray-Darling Basin, at prices as high as $300 a megalitre out of the Goulburn-Murray water area and $240 a megalitre in the South Australian River Murray. That is double what the price was this time last year, and around three times the average over the last three years. The number of drought affected areas in the Murray-Darling Basin is expanding, and much of Queensland is still drought declared. Can the minister tell the Senate when the government will clear up responsibility for the water portfolio?