CURRENCY CREEK REGULATOR

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Will the minister update the chamber on plans for the removal of the Currency Creek regulator?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. I also thank her for her commitment and dedication to the region. The government has fought hard for the River Murray, as you know. We fought on the basis of the best available science for a better deal for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The decision to build the Currency Creek regulator was made at the height of the drought and is another example of how this government has fought for a healthy river. It was a decision made under dire circumstances, where widespread degradation and perhaps permanent damage to our unique water system of the Coorong and Lower Lakes was on the very imminent horizon. It was also a decision made with the best available science to hand to preserve and protect the environment and to manage the risk of acid sulphate soils in the lower reaches of Currency Creek.

The Currency Creek regulator was part of the broader Goolwa Channel Water Level Management Project, which also included the construction of the Clayton regulator. The state required commonwealth approval to construct the regulators, with the approval also specifying the triggers for the removal of those regulators. These triggers, which were reached in 2011, led to the Clayton regulator being removed in October last year.

Thanks to the recent signing of the State Priority Projects schedule with the commonwealth government, the Currency Creek regulator decommissioning component has been able to proceed. The $1.97 million directed to that project has been funded through a mixture of funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the South Australian government. The contractor, Maritime Constructions, was appointed on 20 February 2013, I am advised, with work on site having commenced on 8 April.

The removal of the regulator represents a significant milestone in the recovery of the River Murray. It is something that the community, including the Ngarrindjeri, has been eagerly awaiting. I acknowledge the role that the Ngarrindjeri have played in this very important project; in particular, I must acknowledge the contribution of Mr Tom Trevorrow.

Sadly, the recent passing of Tom means that he was not able to see the project completed and the removal of the regulator. Tom was a very strong advocate for the health of the River Murray. His support was integral in the campaign to fight for a Murray-Darling Basin plan that put the health of our rivers first. He acted with integrity and always with the interests of the Ngarrindjeri people at heart. He was passionate in sharing his knowledge of culture and tradition and his legacy will live on through his teachings.

I am heartened to know that at least Tom was aware that the project was finally able to proceed. Consultation between the government and the Ngarrindjeri has been ongoing, the Ngarrindjeri also playing an important role on site. The Ngarrindjeri have given a cultural induction to the contractors, Maritime Constructions, and cultural heritage monitors have continued to oversee the project on site. I am pleased to report that the project is progressing well, and it is expected that the decommissioning of the regulator will be complete by the end of June 2013.