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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-11-28 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for the Arts) (14:06): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: South Australians understand how critical the Murray-Darling Basin is for our state and our state's growing economy. It is also the lifeblood for our nation, with the basin areas producing around one-third of our national food supply and providing the critical drinking water needs for Adelaide. As far back as 1969, South Australia took the first actions and capped our water use from the Murray, recognising that we had to care for and manage this important resource for our future generations. In the 48 years since we took those first actions, South Australia has continued to be leaders in compliance and management of the river. I am pleased to say that the report released by the commonwealth government—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, Mr Speaker: can we get a copy of this as per the convention?

The SPEAKER: That is happening right now. It is just that the attendant has begun at the other end of the opposition benches.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I am pleased to say that the report released by the commonwealth government on the weekend recognises this, highlighting:

South Australia has had a long commitment to a compliance culture…of all the Basin States, South Australia's compliance framework is the most extensively codified by the way of guidelines for staff and transparent, with detailed annual reports on compliance activity and outcomes.

Unfortunately, the rest of the report made for very angry reading. It confirmed our long-held suspicions of a lack of commitment and integrity in delivering the basin plan on time and in full by those Eastern States. It found that upstream states and the commonwealth government under Barnaby Joyce and Malcolm Turnbull are ignoring widespread allegations of water theft and failing to enforce the commitments under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

This review, along with a litany of new allegations following the Four Corners report in July this year, is the strongest signal alerting us that the River Murray may not receive the water flows mandated under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan unless serious action is taken. That is why I have announced that South Australia will establish a royal commission to look into these serious allegations of water theft and corruption that are undermining and derailing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan that South Australians fought so hard to secure in the first place.

We cannot sit back and allow the Liberal Party and National Party to turn a blind eye to the evidence of this water theft and corruption that threatens the very water our state needs for its drinking supply and its farmers. We have reports now that have detailed a 'lack of leadership at the commonwealth level and a falling short in commitment by basin states'.

Now that we have that confirmation, we must act. We have to hold these governments and those irrigators who are alleged to be stealing billions of litres of water to account for their actions, and only a royal commission can do that. Only a royal commission will have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence and to get the basin plan on track to ensure it is delivered on time and in full.

I am tabling the Royal Commission (Application of Act) Amendment Bill 2017, which seeks to clarify the extraterritorial reach of the royal commission. This will address any doubt about the compellability of interstate witnesses. I invite feedback and comment on the bill from any interested parties. I will be raising these issues at the next COAG meeting and making clear that South Australia expects the commonwealth and all basin states to deliver on their commitments under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

We are establishing this royal commission because we are standing up for South Australia, but in protecting South Australia's interest we are also protecting the national interest.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call to order the member for Hammond and the leader for interjecting during the Premier's ministerial statement.

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