Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for the Environment and Water. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to protect our rivers and support our precious water resources?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Makin for his question. I know that he, like all of our South Australian colleagues here, is absolutely committed to seeing the delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, because it matters. It matters for the communities along the river system, it matters for the businesses that depend on the river system—the farmers, the tourism operators and the other businesses—and, of course, it matters for the environment. Australia is already the driest inhabited continent on earth, and we know that, as climate change takes hold, this will only get worse. Of course, it's hard to remember at a time like this, when so much of the east coast in particular is suffering too much water, but we know in Australia, as sure as night follows day, that these wet periods will be followed once again by drought.

That's why I was so very disappointed to read in today's paper that the member for Maranoa believes that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is impossible to deliver. That's actually a bit rich from someone who was in charge of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan for so many years. It would have been good to hear him say that when he was the actual minister. It's not that it's impossible to deliver; it's that those opposite have sabotaged the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. They tied it up in brown tape because they never wanted to deliver it.

But it's not just the Murray-Darling Basin Plan that they are determined not to deliver, despite the fact that there was $1.3 billion set aside for water efficiency—they haven't spent that or delivered it—it's also their dam promises. It was incredible, wasn't it, that the member for Maranoa and the member for New England—who I spend some very delightful times with at 6 am on a Monday morning—went right around the country promising 100 dams. They promised 100 dams. They promised Hells Gates Dam. They promised Dungowan Dam. They promised Paradise Dam. They promised Urannah Dam. They promised Wyangala Dam. They promised Manton Dam. They promised Emu Swamp Dam. They promised 100 dams. Guess how many they delivered?

Government members: Two!

Two! Of 450 gigalitres of additional environmental water, they delivered two. Of the 100 dams they promised, they delivered two. This mob are great at circling the country and making big promises to regional communities, but they're all hat and no cattle.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.