Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Sterle. I became aware of that meeting when Senator Davey shared that with me earlier on this week. That has been something she has been working on as part of living, working, raising a family and running a business in the southern basin as a rice grower. She has been a strong advocate for irrigation communities. I would recommend that everyone in the Senate tune into the adjournment speech she gave last night, which spoke to the impact of the drought on these communities; the work that our government has done to assist farmers and their communities who are struggling with a lack of water; and her desire to see mutually beneficial outcomes between people who have concerns about the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the state government's role, the water-sharing arrangements and, indeed, federal government policy. Hats off to Senator Davey for a fantastic meeting. I know that each and every one of our backbenchers here are continually raising issues with ministers, making sure that they broker meetings with their constituents and stakeholders in their respective states and areas of interest. That's called being in government and assisting your constituents to get things done.