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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-22 Daily Xml
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MURRAY RIVER IRRIGATORS

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (16:45): Today, I want to address the closure of the night shifts at the South Australian Quarantine Stations. However, after the Minister for the River Murray's response during question time today and the insinuations that he threw across the chamber, I thought I should address that.

First, I would like to address a couple of issues. The hot issue, of course, is the restricted allocations of irrigators at 67 per cent. I think it is absolutely outrageous that the minister continues to deny irrigators their full entitlement, considering that we have 90,000 megalitres going down the river daily. It is outrageous to think that he is not going to defend South Australian irrigators and give South Australia's economy a shot in the arm.

We have seen the floods in Queensland, we are seeing food shortages, and we are seeing South Australian irrigators stuck on 67 per cent. There is a solution out there, and that solution is that we have a state entitlement and that it is divvied up into four sections: our dilution water, our diversion water, our town water and our environmental water. At the moment, environmental is full. We have 303 gigalitres of environmental water. Irrigators would be able to use that water if the minister would sign off on the Water Allocation Plan and divert that water into their allocation. It would be a shot in the arm for the confidence of irrigators and a shot in the arm for South Australia's economy.

I would also like to address the insinuation by the minister that I lied in the media. I think that is outrageous. I contacted the Victorian water minister's office and spoke to the Victorian water minister about support for South Australian irrigators. He said that he could not give support because our Premier had their government in court. I spoke to the New South Wales water minister's office—their department—and, again, they said that they would not give South Australian irrigators support because of the court proceedings that are going on at the moment.

I have been interviewed by the media many times regarding this ludicrous situation. Even federal MPs continue to look at the situation in disbelief and ask why irrigators are stuck on 67 per cent. It is absolutely outrageous. I also had the government department ringing me during the week asking me what grower could possibly generate that sort of economy into South Australia if they were given 33 per cent additional water allocation. Well, let me tell you: I have several annual growers in my electorate who could turn over $15 million within 90 days. I would like to ask the minister: does he know how to grow annual crops? Does the minister have any understanding of just what is involved in turning over a potato crop or an onion crop within 90 days? He needs to listen.

The minister told the house that irrigators are on 105 per cent. How can that be? We are stuck on 67 per cent and, when irrigators are on 100 per cent, they will have reached the cap. So, again, for the minister to say that we are on 105 per cent is absolutely outrageous. I have met with the minister, I have written to the minister, and I have actually phoned the minister with solutions, trying to work in a bipartisan way. He is not listening. Then, today, in the chamber, he tells everyone that I am lying and that I am trying to stalk him. In actual fact, I was trying to work with him to get an outcome. He is simply not listening.

Talk about spending millions of dollars on water; this government has spent over $50 million on an annual entitlement of lease water that it is now going to carry over. Today, that $50 million purchase is worth less than $2 million—not a bad investment by the state government.

It really is outrageous that the minister can get up there and dodge around the question that he did not answer. When he went over to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority ministerial meeting, did he ask the ministers about, did he raise the question of, 67 per cent in South Australia? He did not answer that today. Again, he is dodging the real issue. Is he fighting for South Australia's economy and the irrigators, or is he just playing party politics? I wonder. Is it payback for the previous water minister being ousted in the seat of Chaffey? I wonder. So, today is just another prime example that the water minister is not there for every South Australian. When I last grieved on this situation—could he fight a fire with 67 per cent of his water?

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