Ministerial Statement

Murray-Darling Basin Plan

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for the Arts) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: South Australians are deeply passionate about the water resources in this state. We have experienced extreme drought threats to our food production and drinking water and, ultimately, our livelihoods. South Australians are deeply concerned about the progress and implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and we must ensure that it is delivered on time and in full.

The state government has been advocating for an independent judicial inquiry into the allegations of water theft and corruption in New South Wales. On 11 September 2017, Mr Ken Matthews released his interim report into allegations of water theft and corruption. The report is a damning assessment of New South Wales' water management and enforcement activities. Even the New South Wales water minister, Niall Blair, conceded the report was 'confronting and significant'. One of those confronting issues identified by Mr Matthews' report is his concession that water theft and noncompliance may still be occurring, and he calls for further investigations.

Mr Matthews conceded his investigation was hampered by missing documents and his inability to interview key individuals who are alleged to be involved in water theft. Four days after its release, Gavin Hanlon, the Deputy Director General, Water, at the department of industry and the state's most senior water bureaucrat, resigned, suggesting there may be further evidence of wrongdoing yet to come to light.

Then, today, The Guardian Australia published a report claiming the Murray-Darling Basin Authority knew about allegations of substantial water theft as early as July 2016 but took no serious action until the Four Corners program aired in July 2017. The Guardian report claims the MDBA had satellite data showing evidence of illegal water take that was then substantiated by an investigation but never published in the public report published in April of this year. A spokesperson from the MDBA said:

We have been operating on the basis that compliance matters were being managed appropriately by relevant state and territory authorities—and that information and concerns about compliance we refer to those authorities is actioned appropriately.

That comment sums up the issue at hand. We currently have five investigations into these allegations in various jurisdictions and agencies, all pointing the finger at one another. We need to stop passing the buck and relying on piecemeal allegations and investigations with limited scope to provide us with the answers that people in the highest levels of government and politics have been actively trying to cover up. Mr Matthews, who is leading one of those investigations, admits himself that he simply does not have the powers he needs to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and instead is left with more questions than answers.

A royal commission with powers to compel these key witnesses and key individuals who are alleged to have stolen water out of the basin is now the only credible way in which we can investigate the depth and breadth of these allegations and review the way in which we are managing one of our nation's most precious resources. I have written to the Prime Minister today calling for the establishment of a royal commission to be placed on the COAG agenda.