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

I move:

(1)

That the following matter be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 11 May 2011:

The provisions of the Water Act 2007 (the Act), with particular reference to the direction it provides for the development of a Basin Plan, including:

(a)

any ambiguities or constraints in the Act which would prevent a Basin Plan from being developed on an equally weighted consideration of economic, social and environmental factors;

(b)

the differences in legal interpretations of the Act;

(c)

the constitutional power of the Commonwealth to legislate in the area of water;

(d)

the role of relevant international agreements and the effect of those on the parts of the Act which direct the Basin Plan to give effect to those agreements and their effect on the Act more generally;

(e)

any amendments that would be required to ensure that economic, social and environmental factors are given equally weighted consideration in developing the Basin Plan; and

(f)

any other related matter.

Question put.