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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-27 Daily Xml
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Water Buybacks

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and primary production.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: On 21 August 2023, it was reported that the federal water minister, Tanya Plibersek, had brokered a deal to rewrite the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to allow for a widescale resumption of water buybacks to achieve the remaining 450 gigalitres of environmental water to be recovered. South Australia's water minister, Susan Close, has since shown her support for the new deal. As of 30 August 2023, the total outstanding volume of environmental water to be recovered under the 450-gigalitre target, as reported on the Australian government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's website, was 424 gigalitres.

My question to the minister is: as the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, is she supportive of resuming water buybacks to achieve the full outstanding amount of 450 gigalitres of environmental water to be recovered under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for her question. As Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, what I support is having a healthy River Murray. We need to have a healthy River Murray for the communities that depend on it, as well as the industries, with agriculture being a significant industry—and horticulture, of course. What we saw under the previous government was capitulation on the River Murray. What we saw under the previous government was a total capitulation in terms of upstream irrigators—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The opposition and the government, I can't hear the minister's answer.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Attorney-General, lead by example. Minister, can you please conclude your answer as you see fit.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Water recovery under the basin plan is absolutely essential to restore the balance between the water needs of the environment, communities and industries. What we saw under the previous government was total capitulation to the other states. What we have seen from the government since—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —is that it will not even criticise the other state that has refused to sign up to this plan. What we have seen from those opposite are attempts to make political capital instead of looking after the key issue and the key goal of the plan, which is to have a healthy River Murray.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: If the River Murray is dead, then regional communities are dead—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —and agricultural industries are dead. Without a successful River Murray, we know those industries will be dead. That is what the opposition appears to want. They refuse to support anything that actually results in a healthy river and, instead, we see the posturing and grandstanding that we are seeing here today and at other times in this place, and they should be ashamed.

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