Murray-Darling Basin Authority

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:31): Supplementary question: if the New South Wales government restores its funding to the authority, will South Australia do the same?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:31): Mr President, let me give them a bit more of the same. The final Murray-Darling Basin Plan represented a significant victory for this state which the Liberal Party in this state did not support. Our demands, as always, were based on best available science and what was needed for the health of the Murray-Darling Basin system—our river. It is particularly significant in light of recent plans by the federal Liberal government to cap buybacks into that system. Our state Liberals remained silent on these River Murray issues as they always do, except when they are standing up for Liberal states—not our state, but Liberal states.

It was clear in the lead-up to the recent state election that they have no water policy whatsoever. They will not stand up to their federal colleagues or the upstream states and will only criticise the significant achievements that have been made by this government. This state government has made it clear in the last few months that we cannot continue to subsidise New South Wales as we have been doing. However, I have also made it plain that, if New South Wales agrees to fund its share of the authority, we will also increase our share to the same level.

If New South Wales would like to bring their share back to their full level, then we will have a look at that, but I do not think the member opposite is even suggesting that New South Wales is going to be pulling its weight. They did indicate recently—and I am not sure if I am allowed to tell you this, Mr President, but perhaps I will speak out of school—that the new minister for New South Wales, Mr Humphries (replacing the old minister Hodgkinson, I think), has indicated that the New South Wales position was impoverished and the New South Wales position was not tenable.

The Hon. G.E. Gago: Even more impoverished now, after the federal budget cuts.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Indeed, and he did indicate that he would try his very best to come back to the basin authority states and say, 'We'll try and do a little better.' But all we get from these Liberals is not a rousing chorus of 'Come on, you've got to shoulder your fair share of the burden.' That is not what we hear. Here they are saying, 'What's South Australia going to chip in to subsidise New South Wales again?' That is what they are saying: 'What are you going to do to subsidise New South Wales?' These guys have no idea how the Murray system works. All they want to do is get the New South Wales government off the hook with South Australian taxpayers' money. We will not stand for that.