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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-09-10 Daily Xml
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Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the house on how good the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme is and how it is lowering the cost of water for farmers in the region?

The SPEAKER: Before I call the minister—

Mr Odenwalder interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Elizabeth, you are on the edge. Members expect me to listen to the question and the answer; it's a bit difficult when members are interjecting. If that continues during the asking of a question you will be departing, on either side. Member for King, can I have that question again?

Ms LUETHEN: My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the house on how good the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme is and how it will lower the cost of water for farmers in the region?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: that question contains debate.

The SPEAKER: Point of order: asking how good something is. I can understand why the member for Lee feels the way he feels. I am prepared to allow that question because, in the context of today, I have allowed a little bit to go to the opposition. For fairness today, I'm going to allow that question, but I do not want to see that sort of thing continue. The minister has the call.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:42): Thank you, sir—and don't the opposition hate good news? Don't they hate good news? I thank the member for King for her very important question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: She was joined by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Premier out at Penfield. We note that the member for King is a great advocate for the food producers out on the Adelaide Plains.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: It was a pleasure to have the Deputy Prime Minister here and the Premier announcing that the first recipients—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left, settle down.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —subscribing to the Northern Adelaide Plains irrigation scheme have come on board. That is great news for an enabling piece of infrastructure that will give a capacity for South Australia to not only grow more food but also to have the capacity to export more food.

What we saw along the way was that the first 20 irrigators now have the opportunity to utilise what is probably the most reliable water product on the market. It is climate independent, it is recycled and it is 100 per cent guaranteed. That is very unique in a water product. We now have cheaper water out on the Northern Adelaide Plains; not only is it cheaper water, it also gives some reliability and security to those growers.

We know that South Australian vegetable grower Daniel Hoffmann was awarded the 2019 AUSVEG Young Grower of the Year. He was the first to join up—a great initiative, a great opportunity for him, not only as one of the young growers here in South Australia, but he is part of the future using the NAIS water. What we've seen through the independent economic analysis is that this project will potentially generate 3,700 jobs, and that is even better news. That is under this government, under a Marshall Liberal government that is backing horticulture, backing the food producers of South Australia.

What I would say is that not only is this project going to back horticulture, viticulture, floriculture, but it's also going to give high-value food products here in South Australia the opportunity to grow. We know that we have the machinations of water security around the state. That has been put into question, particularly over the dry, but what I would say is that the Northern Adelaide Plains irrigation scheme is a great enabler for food production. It's also been able to expand.

We've recently undertaken a feasibility study on the expansion of the Northern Adelaide Plains irrigation scheme out to the Gilbert Valley, the Clare Valley. I notice the member for Frome is not here, but it's a great initiative. It's also—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: It's also giving us the ability to see if we can actually extend the pipeline into the Barossa and up to the Eden Valley. I was up there with the member for Schubert only last week. We were up there with some of the grape growers in Eden Valley. The opportunity up there is profound. If we could get the three gigalitres of stage 2 from the NAIS up there, that potentially will transform the Eden Valley irrigation district, one of the premium grape growing districts in the country.

It also gives the ability at Clare and Gilbert valleys not only to deal with water, the vagaries of water, but it gives them the ability to manage salinity. Groundwater salinity is on the rise, and if we can have a feasibility that stacks up and we can extend that pipeline out to those regions, it is a game changer not only for the wine industry but for the food industry and to better our environment with our fragile salinity soils up in the Clare Valley. This is a great initiative. The Northern Adelaide Plains irrigation scheme is an enabler and it's an enabler under this government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Florey and then the member for Lee.

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