Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McDonald, for that question. I recognise your longstanding passion to see the development of northern Australia, particularly northern Australia's water resources. You were passionate about that before you came into this place. You will be a great addition to this place and that cause. The government itself is also very passionate about seeing those vast water resources of northern Australia developed. Northern Australia represents about 40 per cent of our nation's continent in terms of landmass but it accounts for 60 per cent, or two million gigalitres, of the rainfall that falls across Australia in any year. Of course, its water resources are largely undeveloped compared to the rest of Australia. CSIRO estimates that up to 17 million hectares could be irrigated in northern Australia. To put that in context: across the whole country right now—in the Murray-Darling and everywhere else—we irrigate only just over two million hectares in any one year. So there is enormous potential in northern Australia.

The federal government, as part of our plan to develop northern Australia, is putting aside $700 million to invest in water infrastructure projects because, when you capture water, you can use it later to create jobs, grow food and help our nation develop. That's why we're putting $176 million towards the Rookwood Weir, which will be the second-biggest piece of water infrastructure in the Fitzroy Basin and help double agricultural production there; $182 million for the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme; and $54 million for the Big Rocks Weir, the first stage of the Hells Gates project. In the election we announced $20 million for more business cases and preconstruction works for the Urannah Dam and the Lakelands Dam as well. There is lots going on here.

We also have lots more potential. CSIRO last year did a groundbreaking study for us. It was the first of its kind in the world. More than 100 of its best scientists were looking at frontier catchments in the Mitchell region, Cape York, the Darwin catchment in the Northern Territory and the Fitzroy catchment in Western Australia. They found that 387,000 hectares in just those three catchments could create 15,000 jobs. We're getting on with the job of creating those jobs because we're on the side of developing our water resources.