Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

I would call on you and your colleagues, Senator Gallacher, and Senator Wong, to make sure that you impress on Premier Weatherill and Minister Hunter that the most important thing they can do is to work with us, the federal government, and with the governments of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, to make sure that we deliver this plan, because if we do not sit down and have these discussions and work out how we are going to do that then the plan gets blown up. And it will be on your head and on the head of the South Australian Labor government if that happens.

I certainly call on you—and why don't you stand by me?—to help me, to help Senator Birmingham, to help Senator Fawcett and to help Senator Bernardi. Why don't you stand next to us and help us deliver this plan? Because you know, Premier Weatherill knows, Senator Gallacher knows and Minister Hunter knows that the Commonwealth government cannot change the plan without bringing it back to this place and getting this parliament to change it. They also know, as you know, that we cannot change the 450 gigalitres of up-water without the agreement of all states, including South Australia.

Stop your scaremongering; save the Murray! (Time expired)