Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very proud to be speaking on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, being a South Australian and having witnessed our last drought not that long ago. I saw the Murray mouth, down by a town called Goolwa, which has lakes that go into the Murray mouth before they actually go out to sea. I was able to walk across those lakes and see dead fish and dead sea life on the bed of the river. That was less than 10 years ago.

I recall the campaign that was run in South Australia not by the Labor Party or by environmental green groups but by the entire state population of South Australia. The local paper, the Advertiser, ran a campaign holding each and every MP and senator in South Australia to account on what they were doing to save the River Murray. It wasn't that long ago, and that memory is still clear with all South Australians. So I'm very proud to be standing here today speaking on this particular bill.

I know there are strong sentiments on both sides about this particular bill, and we just heard the member for Nicholls speak. The reality is that, if we don't get the 450 gigalitres flowing back into the River Murray so we can have a sustainable river, there will be no industries in years to come. No doubt, as day follows night, there will be more droughts in this country. We've seen droughts over the years, but the droughts that are to come are definitely there, and it will decimate the river and therefore decimate the communities on the riverbanks.

Debate interrupted.

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