Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I will not speak for a long time but I just want to make sure that everyone understands my attitude towards this piece of legislation, the National Water Commission (Abolition) Bill I make it perfectly clear that I will be voting against the abolition of the National Water Commission. The National Water Commission is an independent statutory authority that was established to provide advice on national water issues to the Council of Australian Governments, COAG, and the Australian government. The commission is responsible for providing independent assurance of government's progress on the management of water.

In my home state of Queensland, some 75 per cent of the state is in drought. In Western Queensland, farmers have not seen decent rain for years. The land is dried up to the point where nothing will grow, animals are dying through dehydration, farms and communities are closing, and farmers are killing themselves. The land has become an absolute dust bowl. In other parts of Queensland, CSG mining is affecting the underground watertable, drying up bores and wells and contaminating what water is left on the land.

You cannot tell me that this country does not need a national organisation dedicated to the management of water across this country. If the Romans could build aqueducts thousands of years ago and shift water across Europe, surely Australia can better manage its water today. If we can build piping across the country to shift gas, surely we can build infrastructure to shift water.

I cannot and I will not support the abolition of the National Water Commission. Funding needs to be returned to this organisation immediately. The organisation needs increased powers to manage water across the country and to work with all states to achieve the efficient and effective distribution of water to all key areas across this wide country. We are in crisis in this country because much of this country is in drought. Possibly the next war we fight will be over water. It is one of our most precious resources and it deserves the most comprehensive focus, resources and management possible.