Grievance Debate

South-East Drainage Network

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:06): Today, I rise to talk about an incident that has occurred in my electorate over the last couple of weeks. The electorate of MacKillop is rather unique in South Australia for a number of things, not the least of which being that it probably enjoys more rainfall than most parts of the state over a significant area. As a consequence, before white settlement it basically became inundated. In fact, George Goyder stated in 1886 that in his estimation at least half of the region between Salt Creek and the Victorian border became inundated to between one and six feet deep every winter. It is naturally a very wet area.

The colonial government of South Australia undertook, particularly from the late 1860s onwards and almost up until the last couple of years, an extensive drainage program throughout the region with the farming community. It is probably the preeminent agricultural part of the state. Some other members might disagree with that, but the total value of production that comes out of the South-East is substantial relative to the total agricultural production of the state as a whole.

This year, right across South Australia we have enjoyed a very good season, particularly with regard to rainfall. We have probably had above average rainfalls across the state, and that has certainly been the case in the South-East. It has been very welcome to see such rainfall across most of the region, particularly after the last couple of years, when we have had well below average rainfall; indeed, parts of the Upper South-East have suffered what can only be described as drought.

I had a phone call last Friday from a distressed constituent. His farmland, and that of a number of his neighbours, is adjacent to Bool Lagoon, which is just south-west of Naracoorte in my electorate. Bool Lagoon is the terminus for Mosquito Creek, which rises over the border in Victoria. It drains a significant area and delivers that water into Bool Lagoon, and then the water from Bool Lagoon can be diverted, since the completion of drain M in the early 1970s which is probably about 70 kilometres of drain, to outfall into Lake George, which is adjacent to the seaside township of Beachport. It then flows from Lake George into the sea.

I have been involved in debates on water for most of my life, and farmers never have the right amount of water: they either have too much or too little. It is very hard to get the right amount. What has happened in and around Bool Lagoon is that we have had these very good rainfalls, but we have seen the water level in the Bool (as it is known) get so high that it has flooded adjacent farming land.

Back in 2006 or 2007, a management plan was developed in consultation with the local landholders, the drainage board and numerous other stakeholders, including, obviously, environmentalists concerned with Bool Lagoon itself, which is a fantastic wildlife habitat, particularly for bird life. There was an agreed level at this time of the year of 48.81 AHD, I think, and the level in the Bool Lagoon had almost got to that point. The local farmers contacted the drainage board and said, 'Can you start releasing some water, because the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast substantial rain over the next week or week and a half.'

Under normal conditions, that would have happened, but the staff that used to be part of the drainage board have now been taken over by the Department for Environment. When it was fed back through the system that the water was going to be released from Bool Lagoon, the instruction was to not do that until they had done some further work. As a result of that action, I understand that the release of water was delayed by at least half a day.

My understanding is that the water flowing into Bool Lagoon was flowing in at the rate of 250 megalitres an hour, and water can only be released from the Bool Lagoon at about 57 megalitres an hour. As a consequence, the water level in the Bool Lagoon rose over a foot in the old money, flooding, I am told, some 10,000 hectares of land. That could cause damage of $10 million to $20 million in loss of production out of that area. I think the Department for Environment needs to be a bit more responsible in managing water flows and water levels in the region.

The SPEAKER: While the member for MacKillop is on his feet, I was in the Tatiara in the western districts just over a week ago, and I was just wondering whether the rainfall, particularly in the Wimmera River catchment, had been enough to get Poocher and Scown's runaway holes running?

Mr WILLIAMS: I cannot give the Speaker a definitive answer on that, but I would be surprised if there were not water flowing through runaway holes right across my electorate, particularly in the northern part and the eastern part adjacent to the border. I expect the water table across the South-East to rise considerably as a result of this season.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for MacKillop.