Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Climate Change and Water, no later than noon on 29 October 2009, a copy of a letter to the Victorian Minister for Water (Mr Holding) relating to funding approval for stage 2 of the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project, referred to by Senator Wong in an answer to a question from Senator Wortley during the supplementary budget estimates hearings of the Environment, Communications and the Arts Legislation Committee on 20 October 2009 (ECA Hansard, p.128).

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—Senator Wong has confirmed that she does not intend to table her correspondence to the Victorian Minister for Water, Mr Tim Holding. However, Senator Wong confirmed on 30 June 2009 that the Victorian government submitted a business case for the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project stage 2 early works. On 7 October 2009 Senator Wong wrote to Minister Holding advising of her decision to approve only limited funding to those project components that did not entail capital works and associated water savings. The letter explained that this decision was based on advice from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Specifically, the department advised that the capacity to transfer water savings to the Commonwealth from Victoria’s early works proposal must be assured before investment in infrastructure can be agreed.

Earlier this year an order in council was prepared under the Victorian Water Act 1989 which would have enabled the transfer of the water savings to the Commonwealth from both the early works and the full NVIRP stage 2 project. However, as Senator Birmingham will be aware, on 12 August 2009, the Liberal, National and Greens parties acted to disallow this order in the Victorian upper house. While the Victorian Minister for Water submitted a second amendment on 1 September to enable the transfer of these water savings to the Commonwealth, this amendment is open for disallowance until 16 December 2009. Senator Wong indicated in her letter that, until the disallowance period for the Victorian government’s latest motion has passed, she is unable to approve funding for infrastructure works under the Victorian NVIRP stage 2 early works proposal.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I find it outrageous that, before a decision is even taken by this chamber, Minister Wong sends in the duty minister to state that she will not be providing the documents that this chamber may yet decide to request. Minister Wong chose in estimates last week to make a very clear political point in response to a Dorothy Dixer question. She used this letter to make a political point targeting the Liberal and National parties and the Greens and their actions in the Victorian parliament, actions which were very directly about water allocated for Victoria’s north-south pipeline. Their actions ensured that water infrastructure projects proposed by the Commonwealth—versus projects undertaken by the Victorian government—should be treated separately.

Minister Wong seemed to be mounting the argument that somehow they should be coupling them. That was an unacceptable argument at the time. Yet in Senate estimates the minister refused to provide the letter which she was quoting from. Now we have the proposition that somehow it might be refused to be tabled in response to a motion of this chamber. I find this incredibly disappointing. I hope the government will reconsider its decision with regard to this. It needs to reconsider because, if Minister Wong has written to the Victorian Minister for Water, Tim Holding, in the manner she has indicated—that is, that basically she agrees with him that the Victorian upper house should be held to ransom on this matter—it is an outrageous proposition. She knows full well that the Victorian upper house has no power to amend regulations—they can either accept or defeat. What she should be urging the Victorian water minister to do is decouple the two projects, stage 1 and stage 2 of the NVIRP, and ensure that the infrastructure she has promised can go ahead.

Question agreed to.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government opposes this motion. We recognise that with the opposition and the Greens voting together a majority is in favour of the motion. We will not call a division.