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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-10 Daily Xml
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MURRAY RIVER IRRIGATORS

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:52): I would like to grieve on a very sad situation regarding South Australian Murray irrigators being restricted to 67 per cent. Quite frankly, it is a ludicrous situation that at present we are experiencing nearly 85,000 megalitres coming over the border daily and the state water minister continues to deny South Australian irrigators their full allocation. Along the way we have had commentary from both state members of parliament and federal MPs and they are all in disbelief that South Australian irrigators are being denied their full allocation.

The current situation is that SA Water and the South Australian government are sitting on around 115 per cent of allocation, and yet South Australian irrigators are restricted to 67 per cent. To me, there are two standards and this city-centric government continues to deny the irrigators their full allocation. Every district in the Murray-Darling Basin is allocated 100 per cent allocation. Whether it be high security or whether it be general security, they are on full allocation; they are not denied access to water.

The flows continue to come into this state. As predicted, today's current flow is 83,000 megalitres, it is forecast to go to 95,000 megalitres by the end of next week, and yet we are still on 67 per cent allocation. Why? Unfortunately, the state's allocation of 1,850 gigalitres has been hamstrung. We have 696 gigalitres of dilution flow, which is the carrier water that takes the water from the border down to the mouth; we have 201 gigalitres, which is the water for the towns; and we have 650 gigalitres, which is the allocated water for diversion for the state. Of that 650, 560 is for irrigators. We have 303 gigalitres of environmental water and yet we see unrestricted and unregulated flow coming into the state and going out to sea, with irrigators being restricted.

I have had lots of meetings and contacts, as has the minister, from local constituents, irrigation trusts, businesses and also the commodity groups, and yet he is not listening. There are solutions. As I say, the minister could sign off on the water allocation plan. He could change the situation that we now face. He could amend the WAP and that would give irrigators their allocation.

At the moment the government have 164 gigalitres of water that they are about to carry over—164 gigalitres—and that is just in case, because the 2011-12 critical human needs for towns is already in storage. We have the desal plant that continues to be delayed, but that is there to produce 100 gigalitres of water. Goodness me. How much water does the state government need for South Australia for the 2011-12 year one might ask?

We also have over 700 gigalitres of capped credits, which is not actual physical water, but it is an accounting method that the government can use to allocate water to different licences. One wonders how this minister, as a firefighter in a previous life, would fight a fire with 67 per cent of the water that he needed to put the fire out. How would he do that?

To date, I have tried to work with the minister in a bipartisan approach and he is clearly not listening. He has his head buried deep in the sand. And nor will the Premier. The Premier, who struck this carryover agreement, stuffed it up and he should intervene and amend his mistake.

South Australia is being hamstrung. There is no investment opportunity for people to come into this state and invest in irrigation and food production. To date, with that 100 per cent allocation, we could be alleviating the food shortage that we are now encountering with the eastern seaboard. Fifty per cent of the eastern seaboard is under water; the most productive land in this country, and Australia is being denied food production.

South Australia could pick up the slack on that. I have one constituent that could generate $15 million worth of food production between now and 90 days' time to harvest, and he is being denied that. Every South Australian is being denied an opportunity of economic benefit through these water restrictions. I urge the minister to rethink his stand; take his head out of the sand, listen to the solutions and get on with the job.

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