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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-15 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

WATER SECURITY

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:07): I think that today was the start of a revolution by the citizens of South Australia from what we saw on the steps of Parliament House at about 1.30pm. I did not think I would ever see the day in South Australia when we would have our citizens protesting on the steps about the lack of water in this mighty state and the lack of action by the incumbent government in doing anything at all about supplying additional water for the good people of South Australia.

Today you saw residents of the Riverland who have been completely ignored by their local member. They have had nothing done by the state government and have been forced to come to Adelaide after some three hours' drive to raise their concerns about the lack of action by the Rann government. We have a 'no-action Rann' with a 'no-action plan'. What you have seen from these people is an indication that something is chronically wrong in South Australia. When have South Australians had to come to this place to raise their concerns about having no water? I am unsure whether that has ever happened in the history of the state but I very much think not. I could not believe it.

Furthermore, I cannot believe that those in the electorate of Chaffey—the electorate named after those great Chaffey brothers who developed irrigation in the Riverland—are being totally dudded by their own member. The electorate was named after those Chaffey brothers.

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: How they came down! Come out the front and see what happened on the steps of Parliament House and the joyous acclaim that the minister got when she presented to the group. In fairness to the minister, she did at least front up—I will give her that. But I think it is about time that she fronted up to her own people a bit more regularly. I cannot believe the situation that this state is in, particularly the people of the Riverland and the irrigators. I think it is an appalling state when this happens, and I speak figuratively.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: The fact of the matter is that this state has been in drought for five years along with much of south-eastern Australia. It has been five years and we have had absolutely no action from the Rann government on anything to do with topping up the water supplies of the state.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: If the Attorney wants to have a crack he can have a grieve after me—that is fine. My heartfelt sorrow goes out to the people of the Riverland for what is occurring up there, the fact that their trees are dying, the fact that everything is dying on them—22 per cent water. I understand the fact that there is no water coming down the Murray, but we have to look at why it is occurring. You have to have a look at where the water is flowing—straight past them, straight down to being pumped up into the reservoirs of Adelaide. What a ridiculous situation! People are losing their livelihoods. They are passionate about their own patch; they are passionate about their futures, and they are seeing nothing for it.

They are getting absolutely nothing out of their minister; they are getting even less out of the Premier. This state government is an absolute disgrace; it cannot even defend its own position. All you can get is upstart interjections from the other side, which make no sense at all. I have no doubt that, when you turn on the tap down at Croydon, you get water; that is for sure. You want to try making a living up in the Riverland on a fruit block, or try growing grapes, or whatever else you choose to grow.

The Riverland has been built around the Chaffey brothers and the irrigation system that they put in, and they have been absolutely dudded by a total lack of action from a pathetically inadequate minister, a pathetically inadequate Premier, and a pathetically inadequate government. They should be held to account for it.

It is an extremely sad day when members on this side of the house should have to stand up and present for another member of parliament when their electorate is being left behind and being left in the lurch like it is. I think that it is a total disgrace. What have we got? A national socialist minister, in my view, dudding her own electorate.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: On a point of order, the member for Finniss has just referred to the minister as a national socialist member; that is, a Nazi member—a member of the national socialist German workers' party of Adolf Hitler. It is unparliamentary, and I ask him to withdraw.

Mr Venning interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! That is not unparliamentary; however, the member might like to focus on accuracy.

Mr PENGILLY: Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you for your ruling. I would like to continue my remarks, and point out once again the disaster that has been perpetrated across the state of South Australia and in the Riverland, the lack of inflows, and the lack of decency, compassion and common sense to assist the people of South Australia and the people of the Riverland, in particular irrigators, who are absolutely crying out for help, crying out for assistance, and crying out for a bit of decent compassion from the state government, and to be treated decently like every other citizen in the state. It is not happening. It is a disgrace that it is not happening, and I find it absolutely appalling, as I said before. I think that one of these days—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member's time has expired.

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