Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Canavan for his question and acknowledge his passion for his home state of Queensland and also for northern Australia. Senator Canavan, as you would know, the Liberal-National government is getting on with the job of building new water infrastructure to meet the needs of regional Australia and to help make our regions stronger. As Senator Canavan said to me earlier, whilst we are grateful for the recent rains, we need to ensure the security, supply and quality of our water. That is absolutely central to the future of regional Australia, but it is also central to the economic growth of all Australia.

Senators will be pleased to know that in the recent budget the government announced an additional $2 billion in grant funding under the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. This now brings the total commitment of the government to $3.5 billion to build dams, weirs and pipelines. In fact, this additional investment, Senator Canavan, as you know, supports the government's commitment to a rolling 10-year water infrastructure investment program.

The government has now also committed $1.5 billion through the fund to co-fund the construction of more than 20 water infrastructure projects with a total construction value of $2.7 billion. Senator Canavan, you will be pleased to know that the Charleston dam in Far North Queensland—I know you've been to Far North Queensland on a regular basis—will now be finished in the coming weeks. Unlike those on the other side, Senator Canavan does actually know where Far North Queensland is. A further 10 water projects have been contracted and are underway, and more than 50 feasibility projects have been undertaken to assess their viability.