Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Hansard source

I find it extraordinary if the argument is that the seeking of legal advice amounts to intervention. If that is the argument, that is absolutely extraordinary. For the benefit of the business that is referred to, and for the decisions that that business is undertaking, can I say this: if the decision is taken in the framework that they do not believe they should be taking any decisions at the moment because there will be water reform, that is a business decision in the context of water reform. If they are making a decision based on a belief that the numbers in the guide are government policy then that is a mistaken belief. The numbers in the guide are not government policy. There is only one side of this chamber that ever promised to implement a draft document, and it was the Leader of the Opposition, during the campaign, who was going to release the draft within two weeks and proceed to implement it immediately. That was never our policy. Our principle has always been that we will implement the final plan. The final plan will be brought down after there has been an opportunity for direct ministerial involvement, and that is the way the act is constructed. That is the way we will operate. Anybody presuming that the guide somehow represents a final landing point misunderstands the intention of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and also certainly misrepresents where the government is at.

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