Linda Kirk (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. Can the minister please update the Senate on the most recent assessment of river health across the Murray-Darling Basin and actions underway to improve the health of our waterways?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Kirk for the question—as a South Australian senator, she has a very keen interest in the health of the River Murray and in the very significant challenges that this nation and the community are presented with in terms of the Murray-Darling Basin. This government has heeded the warnings of scientists over many years about the problems in the Murray-Darling Basin, and we—unlike those who preceded us—have taken serious steps in addressing the problems in the basin. After 11 years of neglect, the Australian government is, for the first time in the nation’s history, purchasing water from willing sellers. It is directly entering the water market to put water back into these important rivers. We are now pursuing $50 million in contracts for 35 billion litres of water across the Murray-Darling Basin. That is what this government has done.

We are investing $3.1 billion on water purchase and a further $5.8 billion to make irrigation more sustainable. We have brought forward $400 million in the budget to urgently address the impacts of overallocation and climate change in the basin. We, on this side, delivered an historic agreement at the COAG meeting in March to secure the long-term future of the Murray-Darling Basin. This will ensure that a basin-wide plan will be developed, including the first ever scientifically informed cap on the amount of water that can be extracted from the basin’s river and groundwater systems.

The fact is that the combined impacts of climate change, of drought, of historic overallocation and past government inaction are being felt across the whole Murray-Darling Basin. We know that farmers and communities are hurting. The two-year period to November 2007 recorded the lowest ever inflows to the Murray River—the inflows during this period were 43 per cent lower than the previous record low. Today we have the Murray-Darling Basin Commission releasing the Sustainable rivers audit report, which is the first ever basin-wide assessment of river health. It confirms the damaging impacts climate change and overallocation are having. Twenty-three rivers were audited, and 13 were found to be in very poor health. What is most concerning about the CSIRO work—which complements this sustainable rivers audit—is that the inflows we are getting at the moment are even lower than the worst-case climate change scenarios that are being modelled by the CSIRO for 2030.

This government has brought forward $400 million, it is purchasing water and it is going to invest in infrastructure to return water savings. Those on the other side failed to do anything whilst in government—they presided over inaction and are still completely divided on the issue of purchasing water for the river. We will recall that Dr Stone complained about this plan, saying:

There is further worry when Mr Rudd declared that human consumption of the Murray system water is to take precedence over all other water uses.

She went on to say:

Does this mean that when Adelaide squeaks, irrigation systems shudder?

It just shows that the opposition is completely divided when it comes to the hard decisions about how to return water to this river system at a time of climate change and drought. We on this side are taking action—the action you were never able to achieve in government.