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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-30 Daily Xml
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MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:18): My question is once again to the Premier. If the government wanted access to the modelling underpinning the proposed basin plan, why didn't it take up the offer to have a representative on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority?

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:18): That's right. It does not matter how many different ways you ask this question, it proceeds from the fundamental deficit, and that is that we did request the modelling. We requested that the authority model higher numbers. The resources—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: To suggest that somehow in a bureaucracy of over 3,000 or something—

The Hon. P. Caica interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: How many?

The Hon. P. Caica interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Over 300 people—that we sending a few public servants into that process, when we wanted them here in South Australia drafting—

Mr Marshall: Other states did.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Actually, apparently you are wrong about that. Do you want to repeat that again?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Another helpful driving hint from the shadow minister over there suggesting that the other states had sent people when in fact they had not. But, to send another—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: But to send a few people over when we were actually in the process of drafting our own submission, wanting to make sure that it was the best submission possible, and somehow suggesting that an authority which—I mean, let's look at the pantomime that was performed here in relation to the authority about why we may not have wanted to participate in this. We had a guide that was published that said 3,500 gigalitres to 4,000 gigalitres were what was necessary for the health of the river. All of a sudden, inexplicably, after a small event that involves some fire and some books, we see the chairperson and the chief executive of the authority resign, and then we get a former New South Wales water minister appointed to head up the authority. Wonder of wonders, what happens then? Instead of talk about the science they say, 'Don't worry about the science. Science, schmience.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The next thing we hear is, 'Let's not talk about getting an historic plan that will restore this river to life. Let's have a good start.' Then, when we assert our rights on behalf of the South Australian people we are accused of squabbling, we are just involved in politics. There is only one piece of politics involved here and that is this: if you don't fight you get nothing!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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