Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

In this place, I speak representing the Prime Minister, representing the government. I don't pretend to speak for every single individual and their views. But I make very clear, in response to Senator Smith, that the government stands resolute in its support for the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan—for implementation, as we have said, in full and on time.

We are proud as a government to have ensured that billions, thousands of billions, of litres of additional water entitlement have been secured to support environmental flows across the Murray-Darling Basin. The securing of those thousands of billions of litres of additional water entitlement is enabling the Commonwealth Environment Water Holder to undertake a range of activities in support of environmental assets across the Murray-Darling Basin, not just in your home state and my home state of South Australia, Senator Smith, but right across the Murray-Darling Basin—in the support and protection of Ramsar wetlands, internationally significant environmental assets, and of the overall sustainability of the river system.

But, as has always been the case in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin, it is also crucial that the Basin Plan continues to be implemented in a way that seeks to ensure we have not only a sustainable river but sustainable and productive river communities who rely upon it, as well. That has been something our government has sought to work hard to achieve over the years in terms of prioritising investment in infrastructure across the river to secure those further water entitlements whilst helping those river communities to become more productive whilst returning water to the river to maintain that production of food and fibre that is essential to river economies whilst having that healthy river system.