House debates

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Constituency Statements

Murray-Darling Basin

5:02 pm

Photo of Steve GeorganasSteve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise today on behalf of the constituents of Hindmarsh and South Australians who, just like me, are absolutely shocked, dismayed and just plain angry at the recent announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister to renege on the agreement to save the River Murray. South Australians fought long and hard for this plan to be implemented. The Fight for the Murray campaign commenced in 2012, and it was such a campaign in South Australia that it was even supported by News Corp's Adelaide Advertiser, which ran a campaign in its papers regularly asking for the Murray to be saved and for all MPs to fight for the Murray.

It came on the back of the drought that devastated South Australia and turned South Australians into committed water activists, and it resulted in the plan being agreed to by all the basin state ministers. It was legislated in late 2012 to return 3,200 gigalitres of water to the River Murray. This was the baseline volume of water needed to keep the system alive according to the best science available, including the evidence from the CSIRO. This water is needed to keep the Murray Mouth open, reduce salinity in the Coorong and Lower Lakes and increase flows to the Coorong. But this water does not only benefit South Australia. Importantly, it allows for an increase in flood plain watering across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, benefiting communities all along the river—and let's not forget the river system. That means that, if one part of the river is neglected, the entire system will then suffer.

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was agreed upon in its entirety, and it needs to be kept in its entirety. If you pick at the bits and pieces of the plan, the whole thing will unravel. Close enough is not good enough. The crucial last 450 gigalitres must be delivered as promised. The federal government cannot just cut and run on one of the nation's most important agreements. This was a bipartisan agreement to save the River Murray and, what is more, Australians were given reassurances that this was the case before the federal election, that the agreement would be delivered in full.

Why has the Deputy Prime Minister now backed down on that agreement? Could it be that the Turnbull government has its eye on the more than $1.7 billion set aside to fund projects to deliver this crucial last 450 gigalitres of water for the environment? Could it be that they want to use this for other projects? Whatever the reason, it is not about protecting the health of the River Murray. We do not know what the reason is. The Deputy Prime Minister should recommit to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan on time and in full.