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

I rise to condemn in the strongest possible terms any attempt currently afoot in the Senate to undermine the Murray-Darling Basin agreement. I make it very clear that it is unambiguously the policy of the Morrison government to roll out the Murray-Darling Basin Plan on time and in full, which is 3,200 gigalitres of water. In my first speech, I made it very clear that the Murray River was of vital importance to my home state of South Australia and that, in this chamber, for every moment that I have the honour to represent the people of Sturt here in Parliament House, I will support the Murray-Darling river and the interests of my home state of South Australia at every opportunity. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has no winners or losers. It is a complex agreement that balances very complex interests, between the environment, the economy and human sustainment. We must stay the course and implement this plan for the future of all those affected—all communities right throughout the Murray-Darling Basin. I make it very, very clear right now to anyone who seeks to undermine this plan that, if they think I will take that lying down, they should think again.