David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water, Minister Wong. The mighty Murrumbidgee River flows through the ACT, and it has been in poor condition for decades. It's been starved of flows and even stopped flowing during the 2019 drought. The government recently struck a deal with states to extend the delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, including the 450 gigalitres of water for the environment—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but the Murrumbidgee and other alpine rivers—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pocock, please resume your seat. Senator Davey, I'm calling you to order. Senator Pocock has the right to ask his question in silence.

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Madam President. The Murrumbidgee and other alpine rivers are excluded from Murray-Darling Basin reforms. Will the government consider reviewing the Snowy Hydro operations as an option for contributing water to the upper Murrumbidgee and improving water management in the broader southern Murray-Darling Basin?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, Senator Pocock, you're right about the effect of drought on the Murrumbidgee. I was the water minister during the millennium drought—

That was my fault? I assume that was a joke, Senator Ruston. That was a very stressful period for Canberrans, given the risk to the water supply for the ACT at the time. That—and the risk to Adelaide—was one of the reasons why critical human needs were given priority in the legislation and in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Obviously the first priority does have to be critical human needs.

I think the question went to the Snowy Hydro, the effect of that project and how that project will be managed. We remain committed to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in a way that achieves the best possible social and economic outcomes for basin industries. It is the case that the growing impact of climate change will exacerbate the challenge of sustainably managing water resources. We recognise the interconnection of water use between energy, agriculture and the environment.

The advice I have is that the government is willing to consider all options for improving the ACT's water resource availability, including the operations of the Snowy scheme. We are committed to ensuring that the operations of the Snowy scheme address both the energy and water priorities, including for the ACT. I also understand that recently the minister I'm representing, Minister Plibersek, announced the new agreement between the ACT, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland—welcomed by the ACT government— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Pocock, first supplementary?

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. How is the government considering water security issues in the Upper Murrumbidgee and other alpine rivers to ensure the ACT and surrounding regional towns can have access to critical human water needs in dry times, as you outlined?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's a level of detail I might ask Minister Plibersek to provide you with further information about. Obviously water management is a very complex area of regulation, as you may know, with both federal and state, territory or local, as well as operator specific plans of operating in terms of the Snowy Hydro. As a matter of principle, the Water Act recognises the primacy of critical human needs. As I explained, part of the historical context of that was the water scarcity experienced particularly by Adelaide and Canberra. Operating the Snowy in a way that recognises energy and water priorities is something that— (Time expired)

The:

Senator Pocock, second supplementary?

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. I look forward to answers from Minister Plibersek. The rules that govern the Upper Murrumbidgee River and other alpine rivers were agreed to more than 20 years ago and have not been reviewed since. These sit outside the basin reforms. Will the government commit to act to achieve better water management and adequate flows into the Upper Murrumbidgee?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Water rules have always been one of the reform challenges in water policies because, as you correctly identified, we have different jurisdictions with different arrangements for water. There's some capacity by the federal government through the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to implement those water rules, but historically water was managed, including in a legislative and regulatory sense, by jurisdictions. Part of the reform process that was undertaken post Mr Turnbull's, my and Mr Burke's roles as water ministers was to try to improve water rules. For example—and I know the National Party don't agree with this—we couldn't have water trading between parts of the river without changing water rules, and obviously with different patterns we needed to. In relation to the Murrumbidgee, I am not aware where that process is up to, but I'll seek advice. (Time expired)