James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion about the State of the environment report 2021. As a South Australian, I want to address some commentary in the aftermath of the release of this report, and some broader concerns I've got about the new minister regarding the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. In particular, I found—and I'm sure the member for Riverina will agree with me—some of the suggestions and the diminishing of what has already been achieved through the implementation of the plan thus far absolutely appalling. I acknowledge that there are communities that have made real sacrifices as we have moved through the process of deploying that plan, and there are some difficult questions into the future—there's no doubt about that—but to belittle and demonise the work that has already been done is absolutely outrageous and appalling.

There is the issue of 450 gigalitres, but it is incorrect to suggest that the plan is 450 gigalitres. It is 3,200 gigalitres. As for the 2,750 gigalitres—the initial amount in that plan—we are well on the way to fully achieving that water. That has been through good partnerships and a lot of hard work, and it's something we should be very proud of.

There are enormous challenges around the world at the moment when it comes to water management. A lot of people don't realise this but, globally, many see what we've done in this country as exemplary—a great example of how to take on these really serious challenges. It's happening with the Nile River in Africa. They've got huge issues with Lake Mead in the Colorado River in North America. The Rhine is basically running dry because of a very significant drought in Europe. And, of course, China's Three Gorges Dam has major operability challenges. We're very lucky that we've had good rains recently and over the last couple of years, but we fully understand and respect the that challenges are going to continue to be there in managing the Murray-Darling Basin and implementing the plan.

To suggest that we've achieved two gigalitres is outrageous. It is absolutely outrageous. That is looking only at the 450 gigalitre element and not looking respectfully at what has happened with the 2,750 gigalitres, which, of course, was the initial component of that. To briefly digress, it was the Howard government who legislated the Water Act 2007 on the back of the millennium drought, understanding that we needed to have an integrated way of managing the Murray-Darling Basin so it didn't collapse. None of us want to see that river system collapse. It's a great challenge of federation—one of the many challenges of federation we've come to understand more and more about in recent years—that waterways are not the purview of the Commonwealth government. That leadership in 2007 was about bringing together state governments and the ACT, the relevant constituent state and territory governments, within that basin to say that we have to come together to manage some of these challenges through establishing the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, which then developed the plan through the Rudd-Gillard era of 2011-12. That was adopted, and we are now at the point where the plan, if it's to be implemented in full and on time, has to happen by 30 June 2024. That is a very challenging thing to do, but Labor went to the election saying they would do it.

The Prime Minister came to my home state and said, 'If you vote Labor and elect the Labor government, then we will fully implement the Murray-Darling Basin Plan on time and in full.' We've since seen the curious situation of the appointment of a minister who didn't really want the portfolio and the tensions between a Prime Minister and an environment minister, possibly an appointment to set that minister up for failure. As a member representing a constituency in the city of Adelaide, which relies on the Murray-Darling for our water supply, I won't allow them to weasel out of this commitment. They knew exactly what the challenge was when they said to the people of South Australia, 'We're going to fully implement that plan on time and in full.' It is a difficult task. They came to South Australia and said they would do it. I won't allow any environment minister or any government that said one thing before the election to think they can get away with weaselling out of it afterwards. I'll be following this very, very closely and speaking at many more opportunities that I get in this place and in the chamber to make that point well and truly heard by this government.

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