Murray-Darling Basin

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Can the minister update the house on the Malinauskas Labor government's efforts to restore the health of the River Murray?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:40): The chamber would be well aware of the challenges that we are collectively facing in the health of the Murray-Darling Basin. It's not just at the South Australian end, but it's felt particularly acutely here because, first of all, we don't have any water to withhold from sending over the border to any other state and, secondly, we have the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —mouth of the—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is called to order. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —river which is constantly having to be dredged because it's unable to be sustained naturally to be open. Now, the challenges that we face—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is on one warning.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —in the fulfillment of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which in itself was a compromise and an acceptance of what was able to be taken into the protection of the environment for the environment. The challenges we have really sit around these two important figures: 450 gigalitres, which was intended to come for the use of the environment, which was the condition on which South Australia signed the plan; and then the 605 gigalitres, which relates to projects which are intended to have a benefit equivalent of 605 gigalitres.

Both of those are seriously at risk. The 450 is almost entirely at risk and, of the 605, at least 150 gigalitres are at risk. The reason for that is almost entirely political. The first problem is that until very recently we have had a federal government that has been hell bent on allowing the other states, particularly New South Wales and Victoria, to not participate fully in the delivery of the plan, and they have done that even to the point with Barnaby Joyce being appointed water minister putting in a cap on the amount of voluntary buybacks that are possible for the environment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: The second element of political risk, though, comes with a previous state government that was so weak that a royal commission found that it capitulated to Eastern States' interests. It's probably worth quoting again from the report:

The South Australian Government’s agreement to changes to the socio-economic criteria for efficiency measures should not merely be described as ill-advised. It is nothing short of a capitulation to the interests of the current Commonwealth Government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: So what has—

The Hon. D.J. Speirs interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Say that outside. Say that outside.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: You don't like—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Elizabeth! Member for Florey!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is warned for a second time. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. So what does the Malinauskas Labor government, as has very fairly been asked—what have we done? First of all, the royal commission—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is on two warnings.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —which was first established by the Weatherill government has an enormous number of recommendations that are of great use across the basin. In fact, just yesterday I met with the chief executive and the chair of the MDBA, both of whom have read it in detail and are interested in making sure that we act on as many of those recommendations as feasible. We will therefore be doing an update of the response, having seen the brochure with more pictures than words done by the last government.

We have also recognised that we need greater advocacy and communication, and to that end we have appointed Richard Beasley SC, a very fine lawyer and advocate for the health of the river.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Again, say that outside.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned for a second time. The leader is on one warning. The minister has the call.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: I am looking forward to seeing the response.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: We are working with Tanya Plibersek as the incoming minister, who has expressed much more commitment than previous National and Liberal Party ministers, and, of course, withdrawing support for the overly complex criteria that was signed off on in a capitulation by the former Minister for the Environment, the current Leader of the Opposition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Chaffey!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson will not respond to interjections.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Flinders will be seated. Member for Hartley!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey and the member for Florey will depart the chamber for the remainder of question time.

The honourable members for Chaffey and Florey having withdrawn from the chamber: