LAKE EYRE BASIN

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:30): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises the significance of Lake Eyre to South Australia’s Aboriginal, pastoral and tourism communities and its dependence on water flows from the Cooper Creek, Diamantina and Georgina rivers;

2. Expresses concern that the Queensland government has continued to refuse to consult with South Australia and other affected states regarding their plans to remove the legislative environmental protections of the Lake Eyre Basin rivers;

3. Calls on the Queensland government to maintain the current quantity and quality of water flows from the Lake Eyre Basin rivers into South Australia’s rivers flood plains and wetlands in the Lake Eyre Basin; and

4. Calls on the Queensland government to formally consult with South Australia, as a co-signatory to the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement, regarding any proposal which has the potential to impact flows into our state.

This motion is about ensuring the preservation of one of this nation's most precious natural resources, the Lake Eyre Basin. The Lake Eyre Basin is, of course, one of the world's last unregulated river systems. It covers around 1.2 million square kilometres, which is just under one-sixth of the size of Australia. Its transformation in periods of high rain from dry arid desert to flourishing water holes full of life is one of the continent's great natural phenomena. It is at these times that all rivers in the basin lead to the basin's heart: Lake Eyre, or Kati Thanda, some 16 kilometres below sea level.

The lake and surrounds sustain a wide range of wildlife: aquatic, terrestrial and birds, and it is also important to a vast array of economic activities spread across the many states. The tourism industry, the mining industry, the agricultural industry, the pastoral industry, livestock and the petroleum industry all rely heavily upon it as a natural resource. It is an area rich in Aboriginal heritage, with numerous Indigenous groups living in and on the basin for thousands of years: the Ngamini, Dhirari and Dieri, just to name a few. In fact, earlier this year, I had the pleasure of travelling to the lands of the Arabunna people where I participated in the ceremonial handover of Finnis Springs and surrounds and the renaming of Lake Eyre.

I spoke to the elders, who shared with me their culture, their affinity for the region and stories about the region. Today, post colonial settlement, the Lake Eyre Basin covers four state and territory jurisdictions: Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory and South Australia. The Northern Territory possesses the Hale, Todd, Plenty, Hay and Finke rivers, the latter of course believed to be the planet's oldest river bed, and Queensland possesses the bulk of the Georgina and Diamantina rivers and Cooper Creek, which take in most of Queensland's south-west land mass. These rivers are the lifeblood of the region, but they are unpredictable.

Water from Cooper Creek reached Lake Eyre in 1990 and then not again until 2010. Its flow is never guaranteed. It is because of these unpredictable water flows, extreme changes in climate and multiple environmental, economic and government interests all compounded that make looking after such a unique landscape quite a challenge. From a South Australian perspective, much like the River Murray, most of the water starts in other jurisdictions and ends up in ours. Historically, being situated at the bottom end of the basin has been a frustration for many South Australians living around the region.

Nevertheless, the signing of the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement was an historic achievement for all parties involved, particularly South Australia, due to our location at the bottom end of the flows. This agreement provided us with a framework to ensure the sustainable management of the major cross-border river systems of the Lake Eyre Basin and has provided the basis for a collective vision of this natural asset: one of sustainable management and one that avoided or eliminated cross-border impacts.

Honourable members will be aware that the former Queensland Labor government initiated the wild rivers declaration to protect this unique area. However, the current Queensland government, under Premier Campbell Newman, has announced that it no longer supports the existing wild river declarations of the Cooper, Georgina and Diamantina basins; it is now developing an alternative framework for the protection of the western rivers. Whilst the Queensland minister has ruled out open-cut mining, cotton farming or allowing further water to be released for irrigation purposes in Cooper Creek, the Georgina and the Diamantina, he has said that he will introduce a mechanism to allow existing irrigation licences that have until this time been unable to be used for irrigation in the lower Cooper Creek to be broken up and traded upstream for irrigation.

Upstream or downstream, the outcome is the same. Currently, 7,000 megalitres is being taken from the Queensland Cooper Creek for town water supplies, stock and domestic use and industrial and irrigation use each year. A mechanism such as the one proposed by Queensland to allow trading of existing irrigation licences could allow a further 10,000 megalitres to be used from the Cooper Creek every year. This, obviously, will have a number of effects on South Australia, yet at no point has the Queensland government decided to engage or consult with us in the matter.

From an environmental perspective, with intermittent rivers such as Cooper Creek, deep waterholes and the river channels serve as refuges for life during the long intervals between flows. Small and medium flows are critical for the maintenance of the water holes and the survival of life. The more water that is taken higher up in the catchment, the less likely these small and medium flows will reach South Australia and the Coongie Lakes. From an economic perspective, pastoralists, miners and tourism operators all have a lot to lose if less water comes down the river than before. That is why all of us in this chamber, I believe, and anyone who relies on the basin for their livelihood should have grave concerns about these proposals.

We should also have grave concerns about the lack of consultation on Queensland's behalf. I would like to make it quite clear that this is not a matter of politics: we cannot allow the mistakes made in the Murray-Darling Basin to be repeated with the Lake Eyre Basin. We cannot allow irresponsible overallocation and we cannot stand by when our ecosystems are pushed to the brink. We in South Australia know all too well what can happen to our rivers and communities when there is a lack of consultation about water. We in South Australia know all too well what can happen when we stand idly by letting the upstream states overallocate water. We fought for the Murray-Darling Basin and we will fight for the Lake Eyre Basin.

Members may be aware that I recently wrote to the Queensland government requesting that it engage with South Australia on this matter in a collaborative way. The response was both inadequate and dismissive. Queensland has chosen not to consult South Australia, nor has it provided any information which shows that there will not be cross-border impacts. In particular, no evidence has been provided that the small to medium flows will not be altered by this decision to allow irrigation licences to be traded. Until the detail on all the proposals outlined by the minister is released, I cannot be certain that there will be no effect on South Australia and the environmental health of this catchment.

I therefore ask that all members of the chamber join with me to support this motion. This motion is about looking after South Australia and our natural resources in a sustainable but collaborative way. This has been recognised by a number of bodies and organisations, including an honourable member in the other place, the member for Stuart, Mr van Holst Pellekaan. On 16 September this year the member for Stuart said on local radio:

There is no extra water in the Lake Eyre Basin or in the Cooper Creek. This is not a river that flows out to sea where the surplus water just ends out in the ocean. All of the water that flows down these three major inland rivers, it's all used. It's all very, very important.

Another voice of concern was that of the Lake Eyre Basin expert Professor Richard Kingsford. He said on 17 September:

One of the things that I've been doing now for more than 25 years is aerial surveys of waterbirds. What that's telling us is that the Lake Eyre Basin and its wetlands and its rivers are pretty much operating the way they were 20 or 30 years ago, which is a big contrast to places like the Murray-Darling where we've seen a long-term decline in waterbird numbers. We like to use the waterbird story as a reflection of the health of the river systems in the Lake Eyre Basin. It is very important for us not to make the sort of mistakes we have in other parts of Australia with this magnificent system.

Finally, Mr Angus Emmott, Chair of the Lake Eyre Basin Advisory Committee, appointed by the Queensland government, shared similar views when he said on 16 September:

Moving into climate change we're going to have longer dry periods and longer periods of no flow so it's crucial to get every last little bit of water down the system.

Just a few weeks ago I spoke at the Lake Eyre Basin conference in Port Augusta where people from right around Australia with an interest in the basin came together to hear the latest news and science on the basin. Many expressed their concern to me about the 'go it alone' approach of the Newman government of Queensland. I told them that this chamber would be debating the matter in the coming weeks and I told them that the South Australian government would do everything in its power to ensure that this nation of ours does not repeat the mistakes of the Murray-Darling Basin. Therefore, I have moved the motion and had it seconded, and I commend it to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M.A. Lensink.