Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Again the member for Flinders seeks to intervene; again a stellar parliamentary career of great achievement when it comes to delivering real results—nothing. This government has acted to buy back water entitlements of nearly 300 gigalitres. Contrast that to not a single litre of water entitlement purchased in their 12 years in office. Why? Because it is the National Party that controls the coalition on this. The National Party dictates the shots. Any leader worth his salt would stand up to the National Party. The current leader does not.

This investment is part of the government’s $12.9 billion Water for the Future program. Under this Water for the Future program, it provides $3.1 billion for the purchase of water for environmental purposes. Also, our water purchasing program is complemented by a $5.8 billion program for infrastructure investment to improve water use efficiency. These are practical decisions to take pressure off the system. For the benefit of those opposite, let me just say what 240 gigalitres actually amounts to: it is the equivalent to one half of all of the water used in Sydney in a year. I heard the minister for climate change say this morning that it is in excess of what the city of Adelaide takes off the Murray-Darling system each year. These are not small numbers, these are large numbers. This government takes seriously—

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