Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

After a very busy day in this chamber, achieving what I think are some pretty excellent industrial relations reforms, I'd like to change the tone, talk a little bit about the importance of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and bring attention to the actions of the Albanese Labor government in wasting no time to deliver this. This is the plan that we saw stagnate for nine long years. This is the plan that, under the Liberal-National government, failed to achieve all of the targets and failed to achieve so much of what had been agreed to all those years ago. But, through the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023, which passed last year, the Albanese Labor government is giving the states more time to recover that water, it is giving more options in how that water gets delivered, and, importantly, it is imposing more accountability to the public. We have seen, over 10 long years, so many stories and investigations into the challenges in that river—the rorting and the people who are not doing the right thing—and now we're in a situation where we can deliver the Basin Plan on our revised act and with the revised elements, time frames and accountability.

Last week, the first of three new programs rolled out, and that was the Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program, which enables state governments to bring forward water-saving infrastructure projects—projects that they've been thinking about and that can actually deliver water and start to achieve those targets that have been ignored for so long.

This revised plan that we have has been a long time coming, but it strikes a balance—a balance that seems to be the sticking point of every argument we have in this place about the Murray. Those opposite believe that we can only support the agriculture and irrigating sectors and not the environment, and those on the Greens benches believe that we can only look after the environment. Well, what's good news for this country, for Australians and for the river is that the Albanese Labor government can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are firmly of the opinion—and the science backs us up—that you can do both. We can strengthen the river and improve the health of the river in a manner that will support the agriculture, the irrigators, the community and the environment.

It is vital that the river support our agricultural communities. It provides so much essential food and fibre for this country, and we are right behind those people. But, without it being a healthy river, they cannot have the most robust business that is possible. They cannot continue on a river that is damaged and degraded. That is not a long-term solution.

So we believe that our plan that passed this parliament last year is the answer and the way forward. We can support the environment. We can support the wetlands, the birds, the endangered species and all of the other amazing things that exist along that river system to remain there and become stronger. We can support those communities and ensure that that vital river system is strong, resilient and robust into the future, that it has a lengthy future, that irrigators and producers can survive and build their businesses, that communities can thrive and that the environment can thrive alongside them.