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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Senator Conroy. Can the minister please confirm that ABARES now estimates that there will be 5,000 direct job losses as a result of the Guide to the proposed Basin Plan, not the 800 job losses reported at the time the guide was released? As per the concerns of so many working families in the Murray-Darling Basin, can the minister please tell the Senate where these 5,000 jobs that are going to be lost will be?

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 ongoing interest in this area. The Australian government believes in a sustainable Australia and is trying to achieve three outcomes: to deliver a healthy river system, to deliver it acknowledging the importance of food production and to deliver strong regional communities. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences is an independent agency. This modelling has been undertaken to assist the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in its analysis of the social and economic impacts of the Basin Plan.

ABARES presented a paper at their Outlook conference that outlined modelling: the short-term effects of the proposed sustainable division limits of 3,500 gigalitres under the guide to the proposed Murray-Darling plan. This modelling does not include the nearly $9 billion that the government will spend under the Water for the Future initiative in the Murray-Darling Basin. This includes over three billion—

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

Mr President, I raise a point of order under standing order 194, on relevance—and there are not ‘division limits’; I think that is what happens if the Greens come into the chamber. We asked where the jobs would be. We do not want to know all the other palaver—where will the jobs be, Minister?

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

On the point of order, Mr President: the minister has been directly relevant to what the question asked. The minister has been directly addressing the paper which the quote was taken from, and the minister has been dealing with the subject matter in relation to the question. I submit that the minister remains directly relevant to the question asked.

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

Minister, you have 49 seconds remaining to address the question.

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

As I was saying, the modelling does not include the nearly $9 billion that the government will spend under the Water for the Future initiative. This includes over $3 billion to purchase water from those irrigators who wish to participate in the government’s buyback program and nearly $5 billion committed to water infrastructure and efficiency measures in the basin. It is likely that the effects on employment will be much smaller when government investment is included. These investments will enable a transition of employment from those parts of the irrigation sector where water is recovered for environmental purposes to take advantage of new opportunities that arise from the largest— (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. That was a total nonanswer—palaver. Do the government believe that the loss of 5,000 direct jobs will deliver to working families of the basin the promise that they gave of economic and social results of equivalence to that of the environment?

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

As I have just explained, the premise on which Senator Joyce is asking his question is flawed. I have just detailed exactly why it is flawed: $9 billion of investment into the region, so that the actual outcome will be significantly less because of that investment. This modelling has not included it, so the premise of Senator Joyce’s question is completely flawed. It does not take into account the critical information that I have provided here about $9 billion worth of investment.

Senator Joyce can continue to cry crocodile tears and he can continue to pretend he is in the same team as Senator Birmingham when it comes to these issues, but let us be clear: only one party has a solution to try and meet all of these balances, and that is those on this side of the chamber. For those on the opposite side to try and paper over their differences and pretend they are on the same team is quite comical. (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 further supplementary question. That was yet another nonanswer. They do take that into account, actually, Minister. Given that the government has taken so long to come clean on the effects of its Basin Plan, how can it be trusted to be upfront about the job losses that will ensue from its carbon tax broken promise? Can we expect another sixfold error in your carbon dioxide tax calculations as well?

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

The minister has to answer those parts of the question that relate to the portfolio that he is representing.

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

Thank you, Mr President. As I think you have already pointed out, that question strayed so far from either of the first two that it strayed outside my portfolio responsibility representing Minister Burke. Senator Joyce continues to be involved in spreading misleading information not only to the Australian public about this issue but particularly to people in the Murray-Darling Basin. Senator Joyce is engaged in yet another opposition campaign of sheer negativity. He walks away from their own policy, walks away from Mr Turnbull, whose policy this is, walks away from any rational contribution to this debate and is simply engaged in a fear-and-loathing campaign. He has nothing whatsoever to contribute to this, like the majority of those on the other side. But the Gillard government— (Time expired)