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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-27 Daily Xml
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MURRAY-DARLING BASIN AUTHORITY

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:43): l seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Regional Development in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: More than 1,200 people attended the Murray-Darling Basin Authority meeting in Renmark earlier this month, including five Liberal parliamentarians, state and federal shadow ministers, and local members. In answer to a question on 13 March, the minister tried to excuse her absence by accusing each and every Liberal member of leaving early. I am advised that the minister was factually wrong.

I have not been able to speak to all Liberal members in attendance, but the member for Chaffey advises me that not only did he stay to the end but he engaged the head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Craig Knowles, after the meeting. What is beyond doubt is that neither the Premier nor any of his ministers attended the meeting in Renmark—early, late, or ever. Further, none attended the Murray-Darling Basin Authority meeting in Murray Bridge on 9December.

In that context, I ask the minister: given that no minister of the Weatherill government bothered to attend the Murray-Darling Basin Authority consultation meetings in Renmark and Murray Bridge, will any ministers bother to attend the consultation meeting in Adelaide on Tuesday 3 April 2012?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for his question, and I do apologise to the member for Chaffey if what the honourable member says is true—that he did stay to the end. I was given advice by other members who were in attendance to the whole of the forum that there were no Liberal members who stayed to the end, but I stand corrected if the honourable member for Chaffey did attend to the end, and I apologise for that.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It was a high degree source, indeed; the President himself was there. I find it incredible that the opposition can stand up straight and raise the issue of the Murray-Darling Basin plan in this place. It has done nothing more than sell out our River Murray and our irrigators. All it has done is sell out this state. We know that our irrigators have put in more than their fair share in relation to producing efficiencies around irrigation. We have been advanced in our water saving practices and infrastructure changes.

We have led the nation, and in doing so have significantly improved our efficiency over the years in terms of use of water. Not only are we a very small user of water from the River Murray, in terms of our allocation compared to other states but, to add insult to injury, those other water-guzzling states have failed to produce the same degree of efficiencies around water management that we have. We now see a plan before us that further disadvantages South Australians for all that investment and all that effort.

This government has the guts to stand up and fight against that. We have drawn a line in the sand. We are standing behind our irrigators and the health of our river, and we have the guts to stand up and fight for this, while this mealy-mouthed opposition (they are nothing but cowards) stands there and whinges about who did or did not attend a meeting. The important thing is that we are fighting. We are putting our money where our mouth is and we are fighting for our River Murray. We are standing beside our irrigators, fighting for the health of the river and getting on with the job of saving our river.

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