George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

It is not for me to advise Senator Gallacher, but if I were him I would not be springing to the defence of the South Australian water minister, Mr Ian Hunter, given his substandard conduct, shall we say, at the recent meeting last week of water ministers.

The premise of your question is not only false—it is deliberately and misleadingly false. There has been absolutely no difference of view whatsoever evident from anything that Mr Joyce, the Deputy Prime Minister, has either said or done in relation to this issue. The Australian government is committed to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full and on time. The basin plan is based on an approach to water management that delivers a healthy basin and supports productive industries, confident communities and a resilient environment. It is based on balancing those three policy objectives in the most sensible way.

Basin water ministers met, as you know, Senator Gallacher, on 18 November. That was the occasion upon which we learned that the South Australian water minister, Mr Hunter, disgraced himself by his behaviour. The Deputy Prime Minister raised with his colleagues the challenge of delivering the Basin Plan in a way that avoids detrimental impacts on regional communities. Do I infer from your question, Senator Gallacher, that you do not think that that is an issue that ought to be addressed by water ministers? Of course, it is. But it is desirable as well that water ministers of both sides of politics and in all jurisdictions, state and federal, deal with each other, so far as they can, in a non-partisan way and in a spirit of civility.