WATER MODELLING

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Can the minister inform the house what action is being taken to improve the state's water modelling capability?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:52): On Monday night I had the pleasure of speaking at the inaugural Goyder Institute for Water Research annual forum. Of course, members would know that the Goyder Institute is a core example of how science and modelling can influence robust policy development. Surface water modelling has played a critical role in ensuring our ongoing water security, especially during the management of the recent drought, as it does in periods of high flows in the River Murray.

In light of this, I am very pleased to advise that the federal Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water (Hon. Don Farrell) has announced the commencement of a $7.87 million national hydrologic modelling platform. The commonwealth government and the governments of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory will all participate. The national platform arose from a COAG decision to ensure future water planning and management is informed by best practice modelling, and it will result in the adoption of a new water modelling platform called Source, which was developed by the eWater Cooperative Research Centre.

South Australia will contribute $334,000 over the four-year life of the agreement, which will secure access to current and new water modelling products. This will ensure greater consistency in modelling across jurisdictions and particularly within the Murray-Darling Basin. As part of this agreement, the Mount Lofty Ranges will be used as a focus site to tailor modelling products to local conditions. It is imperative to ensure that the best possible science informs water management decisions in this region, given how fundamental it is to the social, economic and environmental future of our entire state.

The commencement of a national hydrologic modelling platform agreement is a significant step forward in improving water management both within the state and across the nation. It will support the National Water Initiative by providing an integrated approach to managing surface, ground and environmental water in rural and urban catchments across Australia. This platform underscores the importance of utilising sound science when it comes to making decisions affecting the security, sustainability and health of our water resources, something that the upstream states, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and those opposite should heed when it comes to developing the basin plan.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!