Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Joyce for his ongoing interest in this area. The Australian government believes in a sustainable Australia and is trying to achieve three outcomes: to deliver a healthy river system, to deliver it acknowledging the importance of food production and to deliver strong regional communities. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences is an independent agency. This modelling has been undertaken to assist the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in its analysis of the social and economic impacts of the Basin Plan.

ABARES presented a paper at their Outlook conference that outlined modelling: the short-term effects of the proposed sustainable division limits of 3,500 gigalitres under the guide to the proposed Murray-Darling plan. This modelling does not include the nearly $9 billion that the government will spend under the Water for the Future initiative in the Murray-Darling Basin. This includes over three billion—