Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

As a South Australian senator, Senator Wortley understands why water purchases are important, including in terms of what CSIRO have told us, because what we do need to do is to improve the health of the river. We have to get on with the long-term investments on irrigation infrastructure and we also need to return water to the river through purchasing. This is a government prepared to engage in that. This is a government prepared to enter the water market to purchase water for the very first time in the nation’s history through the national government. So far 23 billion litres of entitlement have been settled, with more being processed. In conjunction with the New South Wales government, we also purchased Toorale Station, which yields an average of 20 gigalitres per annum, and have commenced purchases in the northern and southern basin. So after years of neglect we are making progress on the Murray-Darling.

Of course, those on the other side were originally pleased that we were involved in the purchase, in the water buyback. I can recall Senator Birmingham saying they were pleased that the government is involved in the buyback. (Time expired)