WATER SECURITY

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Water Security. What are the contingency plans in the event that we are unable to pump the River Murray to provide water to Adelaide, the northern cities, the Barossa Valley, and other areas served by the Mannum-Adelaide pipeline, the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline and the Swan Reach system?

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade) (14:57): I am really pleased that the opposition has finally realised that a lot of contingency planning is being undertaken at the national level regarding supplies of water in the River Murray and, indeed, the renegotiation of the sharing arrangements for the Murray-Darling Basin.

The 7 November meeting called by the Prime Minister was a summit on drought and it set in place a strategy whereby the jurisdictions of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the commonwealth would work together to establish contingency planning in the event that low flows continued. South Australia has been asked to undertake a number of contingencies as a consequence of that process. One is the establishment of a weir at Wellington. That has been required by the senior officials group of the drought summit established by the Prime Minister and first ministers. It was a call to undertake the approval processes in case a weir was required. In the event that low flows continue, a weir may be required at Wellington. We do not want to build a weir at Wellington, but should we be required to do so to protect water supplies in South Australia, we will do so.

The other thing that we have undertaken as a consequence of the contingency planning at the national level is a commitment to drop the level of all the pumping capacities of all pumps below Lock 1, which include the Swan Reach, Tailem Bend, Mannum and Murray Bridge offtakes. We are able to drop those pumps to access water at a lower level which enables us to continue supply to 90 per cent of South Australians who access water below Lock 1.

The other thing that we are doing is managing the algal blooms. We are renegotiating the flow regimes into South Australia. We have managed to negotiate for significant dilution flows to enable us to manage the salinity impacts, and we are also undertaking significant other contingency plans in partnership at a national level with the New South Wales, Victorian and commonwealth senior officials, first ministers and the Prime Minister regarding 2008 and 2009 should the drought continue through next year.

It pleases me that the opposition has finally caught up with this process. It is only 12 months ago that we started this process and there have been four reports already that have gone to the Prime Minister and first ministers. I suggest that members opposite read those reports, and I look forward to the next report of the senior officials group, which is imminent.