National Water Agreement

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a series of questions of the Minister for Primary Industries about irrigation communities in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The opposition has received a copy of a letter jointly signed by the National Farmers' Federation and the National Irrigators' Council expressing grave concerns about the draft principles of the National Water Agreement. They assert that the current draft is:

…not fit for purpose, legally risky and should not be signed [off] in its current form by the Premier of South Australia.

They claim there will be unintended and perverse outcomes for industry and communities. This is against the purpose of the National Water Agreement, which is supposed to provide a stable management framework to enable economic and social prosperity for the nation and South Australia. The letter notes that it could detrimentally impact South Australia's water management powers. They imply the draft agreement does not adequately recognise the role of water security for irrigated agriculture to grow food and fibre for our nation and drive our state's economy.

The timing of the draft agreement is appalling, as much of Australia's agricultural sector is currently impacted by drought, frost, depressed commodity prices and cost-of-production increases. The last thing that is needed is uncertainty about water security. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries, who represents South Australian irrigators and producers, are:

1. Will the minister take on board the recommendations of Australia's national farming and irrigator sectors as specified in their letter?

2. Will the minister and her government hold off on signing the National Water Agreement, pending further clarification on these key issues of implementation?

3. Will the minister request an extension of the timeframe for implementation to prioritise quality over expediency as the letter requests?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for her question. She would be aware that the Minister for Environment and Water has carriage of particular water matters for the state. I am sure that she will take on board any correspondence that she is receiving. I am happy to forward the questions to her, seek a response and bring it back to the chamber.