Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Day is right; the projections from the bureau are for a very tough season with El Nino. The change in the indicators from the Indian Ocean earlier looked like they might be mitigating what was happening in the Pacific, but it looks like being quite a tough year.

In the southern connected basin, water storage levels are currently at 53 per cent, which is below average for this time of year. I think that is what is being reflected in the price of water that you described in your primary question, Senator Day.

The state and territory governments are responsible for making seasonal water allocation decisions. They take all that information from the Bureau of Meteorology into account in making those decisions—as they would. That is part of the basin plan. That is why John Howard, when he was Prime Minister, established this process—which has received bipartisan support I might add—and it really does not matter who— (Time expired)