Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia (Senator Canavan) to a question without notice asked by Senator Gallacher today relating to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

I very reluctantly rise to speak, because, as you may recall, I spoke on this topic yesterday. I had expected that with the return to Australia of our Prime Minister the problems that we saw with the Murray-Darling Basin, the confusion and chaos in the government, would have been resolved. A strong Prime Minister would have come back to this country, realised the terrible things that were being said by the Acting Prime Minister in his absence and would have pulled the Deputy Prime Minister, as he now is today, into line, and we would have got back to a situation where Senator Birmingham, from South Australia, would know that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan—which was negotiated and implemented in the parliament before last—was going to be achieved.

I rise because I have been so disappointed in the response from the returning Prime Minister. Not only hasn't he done what I thought he would have done, which was pull Barnaby Joyce into line and say, 'You can't desert South Australia. You can't desert the Murray-Darling Basin. We have to give the people of South Australia, and all Australians, a guarantee that what we promised to do in respect of the Murray-Darling Basin we will do.' But that is not what happened, I am very disappointed to say. Not only do we find that he has not rebuked the Deputy Prime Minister on this issue but now other members of the government are running rampant on this issue.

I refer to the very good question that Senator Gallacher asked the minister. He referred to a statement this morning from the Nationals member for Mallee, who congratulated the Deputy Prime Minister for admitting the delivery of 450 gigalitres was 'never going to be achievable'. So not only has the returning Prime Minister not pulled Barnaby Joyce into line, he has let the cat out of the bag, and all of the Nationals members of parliament are now getting behind the Deputy Prime Minister, and they are all saying that they cannot achieve or deliver on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

I referred yesterday to the fact that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was one of the crowning achievements of the Gillard government. There were many achievements in that government but this was one of the crowning achievements. I have had some comments, since I made that comment yesterday, from a lot of people who are now saying, 'The Gillard government is looking like a golden era in governance.'

Senator Birmingham interjecting—

I can hear you laughing, Senator Birmingham, but why aren't you standing up for South Australia? Why aren't you going to the Prime Minister and saying, 'Why don't you deliver on that 450 gigalitres?' Why don't you go to your Prime Minister and say, 'Slap down Barnaby Joyce.'