MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Can the minister advise whether the government has commissioned a study into the impact on 4,000 small businesses and 50,000 employees in South Australia affected by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; and, if so, what are the findings to the study and, if not, why not?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:44): Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, as would be apparent from listening to the debate over recent days, we do not yet have a plan, but what is at stake in that plan is an unallocated amount of reduction of something in the order of 971 gigalitres which will be distributed across the basin. At the moment—

Mr Williams: The southern connected basin.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The southern connected basin, exactly. We happen to be in that, don't we? What that means is that in South Australia we run the risk, and the advice I have, that it is more likely than not, absent any change, that in a free trading system a large proportion of that would be taken out of South Australia. That would be a catastrophically bad result for South Australian irrigators. I do not understand why somebody who purports to represent a district that includes irrigators, which would absolutely smash small business—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey, order, or you will leave the chamber!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —absolutely smash small business in the Riverland, is not standing together with me on behalf of the South Australian community. I do not understand what part of representing your constituency you do not get.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Norwood, order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right, also!

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister for Transport, order! The member for Hammond.