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

The foundation for this reform is unequivocally and unapologetically to restore the river system to health. Wherever possible we have chosen the pathway that is sensitive to basin communities. The plan will deliver vital additional water to the basin, including some 40,000 hectares of iconic vegetation such as the river red gums. The plan will result in the Murray mouth being open for more than nine years out of 10. This will flush an average of two million tonnes of salt from the basin each year, significantly improving water quality and preventing land degradation. The plan will also result in a 33 per cent increase in the potential for large breeding events in the Macquarie Marshes.