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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-13 Daily Xml
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LAKE BONNEY

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for the River Murray. Given that the state government's trigger points for the reconnection of Lake Bonney to the Murray River have been reached, when will the reconnection of Lake Bonney to the Murray River occur?

The SPEAKER: Is the Minister for Water going to take the question?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:53): I am respectful, ma'am; I will wait for the call. I will always wait for the call, ma'am.

The SPEAKER: Sorry.

The Hon. P. CAICA: That is all right. I thank the member—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: I show respect, which is something you should do when you are in this place. I thank the member for Chaffey for his question, and I congratulate him formally on his election to this place. I had some discussions with the member for Chaffey and I am not surprised that this question is being asked. We did have some private conversations and I do not intend to break the confidentiality of those particular discussions.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: I have not read the honourable member's maiden speech yet but, as is the case with all members, I was here in spirit.

The simple fact is that what I will be looking at as the Minister for the River Murray is all aspects of how we use the water we have got to the best effect. At the moment we have been undertaking a process by which the water into Lake Bonney has been replenished. There is a regulator that has been put in there. We had a discussion about the very nature of that regulator. Again, without giving a definitive answer to the member for Chaffey, it is one of the areas I will certainly be looking at because I do understand the importance of Lake Bonney to the people of Barmera—indeed, the people of the Riverland—and the people of South Australia.

It was a place I visited quite often as a young boy. My kids went there for school camps. It is an area that, of course, we want to make sure is one of those areas that will benefit from additional water and how we carve up that water with respect to those areas along the River Murray that are not only near and dear to the hearts of people in South Australia but important to that economy and important to the health and wellbeing of the system as a whole. I am looking at what we can do with respect to that lake.

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