SA WATER

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:11): My question is again to the Premier. How much water could have been bought for South Australian irrigators from the $45 million used by SA Water to fit out its new head office building in Victoria Square? The opposition is informed that the $45 million cost to fit out the new SA Water headquarters is similar to the amount of dollars expended by South Australian irrigators to buy water to save their permanent plantings.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Water Security.

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) (15:11): Thank you, sir. The opposition is confusing two completely separate issues. We need to deal with the drought contingency measures and support for irrigation communities through this very difficult time. We have been working hard over the past 12 months to obtain federal recognition of the fact that irrigation drought is different from the dryland drought for which the exceptional circumstances packages were originally established.

We were unable to obtain support for that from the previous government. There are significant issues in relation to the purchase of water by governments, and up until January last year—and this is really interesting—the federal government refused to support the purchase of water out of the marketplace for the environment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: For 10 years, I have been championing the cause in South Australia as a National Party leader and also for the past three years as Minister for the River Murray that we need to purchase water out of the system.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: We have not been able to get—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: —your commonwealth colleagues—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have called for order. The Minister for Water Security.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: We have not been able to get your commonwealth colleagues to support that. The federal government had not supported the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have called for order. Goodness me, how many times do I need to do it?

An honourable member: Nine.

The SPEAKER: The member is very close to be being named. The Minister for Water Security.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: I can say that, as a consequence of a decision in January last year, the purchase of water on the market has been accepted by other jurisdictions for the purpose of environmental water. The purchase of water by governments for other purposes is certainly not on the agenda. Governments have ensured that a strong market is operating. That market is operating. South Australia negotiated for the expansion of that market with bilateral agreements with New South Wales and also Victoria last year and late in the previous year. These have been huge steps forward in getting a very effective market operating. We have been working hard with our irrigation communities to obtain the recognition federally that we need to expand our drought support to deal with the specific issues of irrigation drought.