Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. I can inform the Senate that the government will implement the Basin Plan in full, as agreed to. Senator Hanson-Young mentioned a number of components of that Basin Plan, one of which was the potential to provide an additional 450 gigalitres, above and beyond what was agreed. That additional 450 gigalitres will be delivered—or the consideration of that 450 gigalitres, I should say—consistent with the Basin Plan.

In the Basin Plan 2012, which Senator Hanson-Young's party and other parties voted for, one criterion under section 7.17 reads:

The efficiency contributions to the proposed adjustments achieve neutral or improved socio-economic outcomes …

So there must be no detriment to the social and economic outcomes for the basin in delivering this additional water. That is what has to be looked at before it is delivered. That is what the Basin Plan called for, and that is what the government is committed to.

I would make the point that we have seen, particularly through the Northern Basin Review, how important it is to get this right. That review has shown that if you buy back water in an uncoordinated way and when you take water out of communities it does have an impact on those communities, it does have a real-world impact in terms of jobs. What has happened so far has already led to the loss of 700 jobs. What this government will not do is trade off people's lives and people's opportunities to have jobs and to provide for their own families against other things. What we are committed to doing is ensuring there is a balance between the economic, social and environmental outcomes of this plan, consistent with what was agreed to. That is our commitment to the Australian people, and that is what we will do.