Question Time

WATER SECURITY

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Water Security. Has the South Australian government surrendered its water security to the sovereign state of Victoria? In November 2007 the Premier told this house that the Howard plan failed because it did not address overallocation of water in the Murray-Darling system. In March this year, the Premier took the water security minister and federal minister Penny Wong to the Lower Lakes and told the media that an 'historic agreement' that he had signed would deliver water flows. Today, both admitted on ABC Radio that addressing overallocation of water was no longer part of the agreement, nor were additional water flows. The minister said:

I don't believe that we will have any chance of getting extra water unless it rains.

Further, in relation to the people in the Riverland, the minister said, 'It's going to be catastrophic.'

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) (14:09): The drought is having dreadful impact on regional Australia and regional South Australia. There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that there is not enough water to go around. Have we surrendered sovereign rights? No.