Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

It's an absolute pleasure to be here with the minister to talk about this very important part of the budget, and that is water, a matter that he and I, as Queenslanders, very much enjoy engaging with. I think we'll both be speaking at the New South Wales local government Water Managers Conference in a couple of weeks. I'm sure that they'll all rub their Origin win in our faces; nonetheless, we'll continue to pursue it. One of the speeches to be made at that very important conference will be by distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes. I've seen a draft program and I believe she will be speaking to delegates about the risks to Australia of a three-degree Celsius warmer world. I know that the minister has some thoughts on climate change that he has been expressing recently. But I think that he would also acknowledge that climate change does pose a serious threat to water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin. Recently ANU Professor Mark Howden made the point that average river flows into the Murray-Darling Basin have dropped by 39 per cent over the past 20 years, and that is mostly due to climate change. In December last year the CSIRO told us that the hydroclimate of the Murray-Darling Basin is changing. CSIRO researchers said that the future would be warmer and is likely to be drier, with more severe droughts. A couple of years ago the government's own drought coordinator-general pointed out the risks of climate change to water availability, again also talking about the contribution of climate change to more frequent and more severe droughts. A range of people have spoken about this issue.

My question to the minister on this topic is: given this scientific evidence about the impact of climate change on reduced inflows into the basin—other people have observed it, the previous inspector-general of the Murray-Darling Basin observed lessening inflows into the basin—how is the minister ensuring that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is continuously underpinned by the most up-to-date science possible and takes into account climate change and the impacts of climate change on water availability in the basin? How does the minister intend to make sure that the plan does actually deal with these changing environmental conditions that arise as a consequence? Of course, this year has been a wet year. I think we have all been very, very relieved to see the rain, but we shouldn't only care about droughts in dry years. We should, as the saying might be adapted to go, in times of drought, prepare for rain and in times of rain, prepare for drought. We do need to be focused on the possibility of droughts into the future and we also need to remember that drought is felt unevenly across the basin. For example, in our own home state of Queensland, they were still trucking water into Stanthorpe long after a lot of other places had been receiving water and were very wet. How will the government ensure that the continued changes to water availability and the continued reduction, it appears, in inflows will be accommodated?

On the topic of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, I'd also like the minister to address the progress that's being made in respect of the supply measures that arose out of the SDL adjustment mechanism. What is the progress of those supply measures? What is the progress in terms of actually delivering those environmental outcomes equivalent to 605 gigalitres of water per year? What can the minister tell people in respect of whether or not those measures will be delivered on time?

Are there any of those supply measures that are being reviewed or reconsidered? Particularly, what is the status of the New South Wales measures, which, as the minister would know, the New South Wales government has previously said would not be able to be delivered?

I'd also appreciate it if the minister would address the 450 gigalitres of water that was intended to be provided by efficiency measures. The minister is aware of the independent panel into the Water for the Environment Special Account report last year, which said that of the 450 gigalitres per year only 1.9 gigalitres had been delivered. That report said that the 450 gigalitres would not be delivered. How can the minister assure Australians living in the basin as well as all Australians that the 450 gigalitres will be delivered on time?

See this speech in context