Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I begin, I just want to give those in the National Party a trigger warning: I am talking about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, because we have really good news about what we've announced in government to deliver for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The Minister for the Environment and Water visited Bendigo in the break, and we announced $120 million to upgrade the Coliban rural water supply network in Bendigo. It dates back to the 1870s. It's inefficient, and we lose about 80 per cent of the water to evaporation, leakage and other means.

What is really good about this investment by our government is it will also contribute to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. We will return 4.6 gigalitres of water to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan's 450-gigalitre water-recovery target. This is great news for all our South Australian colleagues, this is great news for the health of the Murray, and this is really great news for my electorate because we will not lose our water through leakages, through seepage and through evaporation. This is what a Labor government does for regional Australia. We are delivering for Bendigo, we are delivering for regional Australia, and we are delivering the health of the Murray. Those opposite just freak out—trigger warning.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.