MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Why is it a better use of taxpayers' money to spend $2 million on advertising in relation to the River Murray rather than investing those funds into works and measures to recover water for the environment? The minister told the estimates committee that the $2 million announced by the Premier to support South Australia's case on the River Murray would be spent on, to use the minister's word, 'communications'.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:31): Again, quite simply, the state government is committed to doing whatever is necessary—

Ms Chapman: To make you look good.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —to make sure the final Murray-Darling Basin plan is one that delivers on the objects of the act. We have said that and I and this government will continue to fight for that. That is why we have established the Fight for the Murray campaign, and we certainly request that the opposition come on board, because they are at odds with the majority of South Australians—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —with respect to what we want to achieve and what we intend to achieve.

Mr Williams: What do you want to achieve again?

The SPEAKER: Deputy Leader, order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: We want to achieve a result that in turn ensures that the Murray-Darling Basin system has contained within it an extraction level that is sustainable, that in turn will sustain consumptive use, irrigation, for this generation and future generations. We want to ensure that the system is healthy enough when the next drought comes. The scientists tell me that the millennium drought was a glimpse of the future and that droughts will become more frequent.

Ms Chapman: Why do we need a pamphlet for that?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Droughts will become more frequent and more intense and, so that resilience is built into the system, so when that drought comes the system will not only just need to fight for another day but will be able to—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: We will do whatever is necessary, unlike the opposition, to make sure the Murray-Darling Basin plan that comes out—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: Getting back to what the member for MacKillop was saying, quite clearly we want an outcome that will deliver on the objects of the act. That is why we referred South Australian powers through to establish the independent authority. That is what we did, and we expect and the people of this state expect that to occur. We will use that funding that has been allocated—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: —or certainly provisioned for—to ensure that we continue to build momentum so that Australia and all Australians get an outcome they deserve: a river system that will serve their needs today and the needs of their great-grandchildren into the future. We want an outcome based on science. It is very interesting. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority issues a draft plan. We then respond to that draft plan based on science. We say that if that is the case, what indeed are the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's interests it is protecting? Clearly the MDA position is based on the interests of upstream states; ours is based on the best interests of South Australia and indeed—

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order: I am struggling with the relevance of the minister's answer to the question, which was about why it was better to spend $2 million on advertising than on-the-ground works for the river.

The Hon. P. CAICA: We have always supported—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I can't hear the minister. Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: Look, it is in our best interests, it is in South Australia's best interests and in the nation's best interests to use what funding we have available to make sure that this is a campaign that is actually a campaign that is won. We don't shy away from that and wish the Liberals would certainly join us in fighting for the interests of South Australia instead of the interests of the upstream states, which they appear to be doing.