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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-28 Daily Xml
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WATER LICENCES

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Water Security. Does the minister agree that the federal government's announcement this week that it will spend some $50 million to purchase water licences is inadequate? The proposal under the former Howard government's national water plan was to use some $3 billion to buy water licences to attack the overallocation across the Murray-Darling Basin. The federal Labor government has only allocated 1.7 per cent of this amount to address the overallocation issue.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade) (15:11): The purchase of water from willing sellers has been a long-term commitment of the South Australian government as one of the measures necessary to return health to the River Murray. We have fought for years to get agreement from other jurisdictions and the federal government that the purchase of water from willing sellers needed to be part of the solution. We were pleased last year when the previous government, in announcing the $10 billion plan, did say that it would consider purchase from willing sellers as part of the program; however, not one cent of the $10 billion was allocated to the purchase of water from willing sellers last year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: What has happened, however, is that through the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council, South Australia was successful in pushing to have a pilot program established for the purchase of water from willing sellers. In fact, a program was run towards the middle of last year, in an open tender process, similar to the one that is now being proposed by Senator Wong.

This is a very important first step in the right direction. I am looking forward to seeing the $10 billion invested in returning the river system to a healthy working river. I am going to do all that I can to work with governments of the day to ensure that we get the best deal for the River Murray, and I believe—as does the Premier of this state—that an independent authority that takes the politics out of water is essential to getting this achieved.

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