Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, Senator Brown clearly was not listening to the answer. I said that we are in fact addressing water allocation issues. We are addressing water allocation and overuse and unsustainable use of water resources across that entire catchment through bringing into Australia, for the first time, a comprehensive water trading scheme which will ensure that water goes to the highest and best use.

We are working with local landholders and cattle graziers; we are working through the Natural Heritage Trust and our natural resource management programs to ensure that agriculture remains sustainable and that the sort of environmental repair that Senator Brown seems to desire can be achieved. There is no doubt that in Australia you can have a viable cotton industry, a viable agricultural industry and also a restoration of environmental health. Unlike Senator Brown, we seek to have a win-win. We would like to have agriculture in this country but also a healthy environment. He would like to wipe out agricultural investment; we do not want to do that. (Time expired)