Ministerial Statement

MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The final report of the Goyder Institute for Water Research on the ecological consequences of the draft basin plan was publicly released yesterday. The work of the Goyder Institute is a valuable contribution to the public discussion on the draft basin plan and was made available to help inform the debate. The Goyder Institute was asked to independently review the South Australian government's scientific and ecological analysis of the draft plan. That review focused on whether 2,750 gigalitres of additional water, as proposed in the draft basin plan, would secure the health of the River Murray in South Australia.

The Goyder Institute includes eminent scientists from the CSIRO and South Australia's three universities and is well placed to draw conclusions on the science behind the draft plan and its associated risks. The Goyder Institute concluded that, while there is potential to deliver some improved outcomes with an additional 2,750 gigalitres, that amount is insufficient to meet the water requirements for key assets in South Australia. The report states:

...the ecological character of the South Australian environmental assets...is unlikely to be maintained under the basin plan 2,750 scenario.

It further states:

...few of the environmental watering requirements required to maintain the ecological character of the region are met.

The risks presented range from degradation caused by salinity to declining vegetation, habitat loss and threats to species of plants and animals. For example, requirements for key vegetation communities are not met for significant areas of the flood plain, and the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Ramsar site remain at risk from low water levels and high salinities during dry periods.

On the basis of the Goyder Institute's report, and the government's underlying science review, the evidence shows that the draft plan in its current form does not provide a good start to fixing the river. In addition, even the potential benefits under the 2,750 gigalitre scenario are fundamentally dependent upon the way in which the water is delivered and used. As a result, the current benefits forecast represent only one possible outcome of the delivery of an additional 2,750 gigalitres on average per annum.

South Australia wants a plan that restores the river to health. This is what we signed up for as a condition of the government's support for the new national authority which was to carry out its work based on the best available science and in accordance with the Water Act 2007. We are committed to working as hard as possible to get a basin plan that secures the health of the river and ensures a future for the communities that rely upon it.

Earlier today, I provided a copy of the Goyder Institute's report to minister Burke and to Craig Knowles, Chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. In the coming days we will be finalising the state's submission on the draft plan and we will be presenting a strong case to the authority to ensure that we get a basin plan that South Australia can accept.

We continue to encourage as much public debate as possible and to work towards a strong state position. The future of the river is critical to the future of our state and deserves the full attention of the parliament. For this reason, today I am moving a motion to debate the principles underlying our state's position on the draft plan on Wednesday 4 April.