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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-30 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

MURRAY-DARLING BASIN

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. P. CAICA: We are about to embark on the next significant step in reforming the management of the Murray-Darling Basin with the release of the guide to the proposed plan on 8 October 2010. Over many years, the South Australian government has taken a strong and principled approach to achieving reform of the Murray-Darling Basin, and we will continue to do so.

We have sought and supported strong commonwealth leadership. This has been demonstrated through the establishment of the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the development of the basin plan. We seek to demonstrate exemplary behaviour at home in managing the water resources of the River Murray. There are many longstanding examples of this leadership, including:

our early actions to 'cap' water use in 1969;

our continuous improvement in irrigation efficiency; and

our leadership and commitment to the Living Murray Program, as the first state to meet our water recovery target.

Strong working relationships between partner governments continue to be vital to ensuring the best outcomes for the basin and its communities. Getting the balance right in the basin plan will be a fundamental challenge for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, as this will require rebalancing environmental, economic and social needs.

As we seek to better understand this complex ecological system, the potential impacts of climate change and the cultural, social and economic impacts of change, we must be prepared to learn by doing—to be collaborative, transparent and adaptable. Throughout the basin, we must work together for success in creating a functioning, healthy river system that restores environmental values and provides for viable and productive industries and communities into the future. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide a legacy for our children and future generations.

Following the release of the guide, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority will meet with people throughout the basin, including South Australians. To inform this government's response to the guide, I will also be talking and listening to South Australians about what it means for our environment, our people and our economy. While we strongly encourage individuals and organisations to make their own submissions to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, we will be preparing a whole-of-government response to the guide, and later to the proposed Basin Plan. The government's responses will be informed by the discussions we have with South Australians over the coming months.

The principal aim of the basin plan must be to ensure a long-term environmentally sustainable future for the Murray-Darling Basin. It is clearly in the interest of all users of the river system that this is achieved. That is why I call on all members in this place to work with the government in a bipartisan way to ensure we get the best outcomes for the Murray-Darling Basin.

Only a healthy river system can sustain the livelihoods of those who depend on it. That is why our Premier fought for the establishment of the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority that would take a whole-of-basin, no-borders approach to manage the system, based on the best scientific knowledge available. That is why the South Australian government welcomes the imminent release of the guide to the proposed plan. It is indeed our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-balance the system, address overallocation and prioritise the health of the river for the future, for the benefit of all Australians.

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