Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for that ruling, Mr President. I will again say that the government is committed to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, ensuring that the benefits flow to communities, farmers and the environment. I would also point out that the plan is the product of collaboration and cooperation between the federal government and relevant basin state governments. In that context, I was also making the point that basin governments may choose to build new infrastructure or make changes to existing infrastructure—for example, raising dam walls to store more water and improve water security for basin communities. That is entirely consistent with the plan. New or expanded dams don't create water but rather intercept and store large volumes of water which can then be managed as regulated releases.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is required to ensure that state governments are using no more than the long-term annual average limit of water that can be taken from individual catchments within the basin. This requires that state governments have taken the maximum level of water used into consideration in any new development proposals. Any new infrastructure in the basin would need to be filled and used by entitlement volume within the sustainable diversion limits, and all new dams would require the necessary environmental, development, cultural, heritage and other approvals from relevant government authorities. There is not a regulatory responsibility for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to approve new dams. (Time expired)