Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities—which, surprisingly, is Senator Conroy. Minister, can you please explain the varied positions of the Labor Party. Senator Wong stated on 1 June 2009:

… the final decision on the Basin Plan rests with the Commonwealth Minister for Water alone..

Then, on 10 August, Prime Minister Gillard said they were ‘determined’ to do what was necessary to implement the Murray-Darling Basin plan. Then the most recent minister, Minister Burke, said on the 26th:

The guide is not government policy, it is not my document, I have deliberately made sure I did not launch it.

Who are we to believe: minister 1, Minister Wong; minister 2, Minister Burke; or the Prime Minister?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Joyce for his question. It gives me the opportunity to answer the question. The key is that, Senator Joyce, you are factually wrong. Senator Joyce was talking about different things. He was trying to compare apples with oranges—comments about apples compared with comments about oranges. But that is no great surprise. This is a senator who yesterday stood up and offered to table a document he was given in confidence. He was given an advance copy of a document and he wanted to wave it around pretending it was a public document.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, this has to be, if ever there was, an issue of relevance. There is not one thing in this answer that is addressing this question. In fact he is going on to something entirely different. Please pull him into line.

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

Senator Joyce, I believe that the minister is answering the question but I do believe that the minister needs to come back to the central theme of the question and answer that.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A very fair ruling, Mr President. As I was saying, Senator Joyce is attempting to take comments about a guide and comments on a plan and pretend they are the same thing. They are separate things; one came before the other. They are completely consistent with each other. The fact that Senator Joyce is now going to have to explain to Senator Abetz and the tactics committee that he has been sprung misleading the chamber by trying to pretend they were the same things is something Senator Joyce will have to deal with. The whole premise of his question is completely false. It just shows the desperation of those opposite that they would try—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You just don’t like the fact that Barnaby is a lot smarter than you.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh that was cutting! I am cut to the quick. It is that Rumpole-like wit!

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

Senator Conroy, ignore the interjections and just answer the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are right, Mr President; I should ignore the interjections from Senator Brandis. I apologise for allowing them to distract me. But I will not be distracted from Senator Joyce trying to verbal— (Time expired)

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. It was a complete and utter nonanswer to the first question, but let us have a crack at this one. Why has the government taken seven months—from the Productivity Commission report of March 2010 to the Australian Government Solicitor’s advice yesterday, two weeks after the release of the guide—to remove any queries and doubt that the act must deliver a triple bottom line approach of both social, economic and environmental outcomes—

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did you use it as toilet paper? I thought you used Productivity Commission reports as toilet paper.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does this explain how the Labor Party has so—

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

Senator Joyce, I am going to ask you to repeat part of that question. There was an interjection and I could not hear part of your question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I heard it.

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

Senator Conroy, I did not hear it. I am asked to rule on these questions; I have to hear the question. Senator Joyce is entitled to be heard in silence.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the minister’s botched approach explain why the basin has been left in a state—as the minister stated—of ‘absolute confusion’?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The basin is confused? It might not be the only thing. Mr President, Senator Joyce continues to try and verbal Minister Burke, Minister Wong and the Prime Minister. It is a complete verballing. The whole premise of his question is wrong. We have been very consistent in our view. We have taken legal advice and now we are going to table it, as I think Minister Burke has indicated. So let us be clear about this: we have been completely consistent in our statements on these matters and we, like many others, like many stakeholders, are concerned. Minister Burke visited Griffith just recently and they are very concerned there about this report as it stands at the moment. Let me be very clear about this. We have been entirely consistent.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. If they are so concerned about it, why did the Prime Minister say she was going to implement it?

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

That is not a point of order; that is argument, which you are entitled to put at the end of question time. Senator Conroy, you have two seconds remaining in which to answer the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have completed my answer, Mr President.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister confirm that the Labor government has spent $100 million in departmental expenses for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority on a report that its own advice said was premised on a false premise?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As to the exact figure that Senator Joyce quoted, I cannot confirm or deny that. I am happy to take that on notice to confirm it for you, Senator Joyce. I would not like to mislead the Senate—as you have during most of this question time. Again, the premise of the question is false. Senator Joyce has attempted three times now to verbal not only Minister Burke and Minister Wong but the Prime Minister. He should be ashamed of himself for that. He has continued to make the misrepresentation—

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of clarity: the minister said that I verballed him, so can he please direct me to the position in the question where I verballed him?

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

That is not a point of order, Senator Joyce. Senator Conroy, you have 23 seconds remaining.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government, as has been stated many times, is trying to achieve three outcomes: to deliver a healthy river system, something those opposite used to believe in; to deliver it acknowledging the importance of food production; and to deliver strong regional communities. That was the objective when the Water Act was first—(Time expired)

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

If you wish to argue about the answers given during question time, the appropriate time is at the end of question time.