MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:18): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. On what date did the state government agree to 83 gigalitres being South Australia's portion of the 971 gigalitres shared reduction target for the southern connected basin under the basin plan? In The Australian on 2 November, federal minister Tony Burke confirmed the three southern states, including South Australia, had all agreed on the specific water volumes each must give back to the basin as part of the 971 gigalitres shared southern reduction target. On what date did the government agree to South Australia's specific volume?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:18): I will bring back an answer on the precise date, but can I say that the critical factor in us acknowledging South Australia's shared commitment to this 3,200 gigalitres was the fact that we secured money that would pay for it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You will listen to the Premier's answer.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: One of the preconditions to us reaching agreement on 3,200 was that no further burden be placed on South Australian irrigators. The reason we were able to give the commitment to 3,200 and secure that was because we knew that we had secured for South Australian irrigators a level of funding which would ensure that the additional water would not come at any additional burden to South Australian irrigators. The $1.77 billion which is in this legislation—which we would be grateful if you would ask your federal colleagues to pass—secures that additional amount. We knew that the first tranche—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —of water, the water that was necessary to get us up to 2,750 gigalitres, was secured through the sums that we announced the other day, the $265 million, I think, of funding, part and parcel of that. The money was locked in so that South Australian irrigators would not bear the burden. That is how we get to 3,200 gigalitres, which gives us a healthy river and which does not impose the burden on South Australian irrigators.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!