Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

God, it is a special day. My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. What action will the minister take to address the Victorian government’s failure to adhere to the controlled action conditions in the EPBC Act relating to the north-south pipeline—which they are obviously in breach of—given the orders in council, published in the Victorian Government Gazette of 28 May, making a bulk entitlement of 75 gigalitres of water from the Eildon Dam, breaking at least three of these conditions?

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

None of you people over there—other than the minister—know what I am talking about!

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

Thank you to Senator Heffernan for the question—and congratulations to him on getting a question. These are matters which have been discussed in Senate estimates on a number of occasions. I think Senator Heffernan traversed some of these issues then. I believe he is speaking about the Sugarloaf Pipeline and the conditions that Minister Garrett put in place under the EPBC Act. As I said then and will repeat now: there are means for enforcement under the EPBC Act—that statute sets those out. I will obtain any further information from the department—and this is actually Minister Garrett’s department—that I can. I am not aware of anything further since the Senate estimates on this issue, but it is possible there may have been further actions, to which Senator Heffernan is referring. But again I say: the conditions of approval are conditions that have force under the EPBC Act. There are a range of enforcement mechanisms under that act, and this project will be treated, like any other, in accordance with the provisions of that statute. I recognise, and the government recognises, that this is an issue that has attracted a great deal of attention within Victoria, but, as Mr Garrett has consistently said, his decision on this issue is driven by the merits of the matter before him, and, of course, there is only a limited set of issues before him in relation to the pipeline.

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The mean flow of the system is 2,700 gigalitres and is predicted to be 300 this year, which has serious implications for downstream and for environmental flows. How can the minister on one hand say she is trying to return water to the Murray-Darling Basin when at the same time she is allowing Melbourne Water to extract 75 gigalitres—which is not even considered a gross figure; it is a net figure—of environmental reserves from the Goulburn River, a tributary of the Murray? This is just plain stupid.

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

Senator Heffernan is one of the few people on that side who should know better than to ask that question, because he knows that—whatever the merits of the pipeline—this is an issue about the division by Victoria of its own state shares. He tries to make a comparison with water purchase, but he knows that purchase of entitlement is a different issue. I share his concern about where the basin is, and the figures that he put into Hansard just now demonstrate the concerning and extremely difficult situation we face in the Murray-Darling Basin. I wish that more on that side would recognise that challenge, because we have a range of senators and coalition members who refuse to acknowledge the reality of the challenge in the Murray-Darling Basin, and who continue to be opposed to water purchase—

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Nash interjecting—

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

and Senator Nash is one of those—

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Answer the question!

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

I am answering the question, Senator Nash. Unlike you, we have a plan to deal with the Murray-Darling Basin. In 10 months in government, Malcolm Turnbull returned not one drop. (Time expired)

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In recent weeks a landowner in this area was found guilty of trespassing on their own property under the EPBC Act, which was overlooked because of the alleged behaviour of the Victorian government. Does the minister realise that Melbourne has many other water supply options, all of them more reliable and renewable than the drought stressed Goulburn River—recycling, stormwater, harvesting, desalination, water conservation and further dam construction—south of the Great Dividing Range in a different rain shadow?

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

In relation to the first issue, I will have to take that on notice; I am not aware of the details of the incident to which you refer. In relation to the second issue: yes, we are aware of the range of means needed to try and secure water in the face of the challenge of climate change. That is why, unlike the previous government, we are funding Water for the Future, we are funding urban water projects through the urban water fund, we are funding stormwater, we are funding recycling and we are funding waste water. Those on the other side can come in here and lecture us about water policy, but Australians can look at their record, which includes, I think, the comments of Mr Costello—who is now on his way—about the Commonwealth not having a role in urban water. That is not our view. We are funding projects—including desalination, recycling, waste water, grey water, stormwater harvesting— (Time expired)