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

Thank you, Senator Canavan, for your question and for your continuing championing of critical water projects for Queensland. Providing vital infrastructure to regional Australia is key to our nation's recovery from COVID-19, and getting water infrastructure out into regional Australia will provide them with a great platform to grow and prosper. We need it for the businesses that underpin our regional communities, create local jobs and support the way of life of thousands of regional Australians who wouldn't want to live anywhere other than in Central Queensland, I would say, Senator Canavan, with respect to you and your colleague. The Liberal and Nationals government is getting on with the job of building new water infrastructure to meet the needs of regional Australia. Projects such as Rookwood Weir and the proposed Urannah Dam are key elements to delivering for regional Australians who rely on vital water infrastructure.

Since the establishment of the National Water Grid Fund in 2015, the Australian government has committed $1.9 billion towards water infrastructure projects in Australia—30 construction projects, eight of which are complete, six underway and a further eight expected to start construction in this financial year. Major projects under construction include the Rookwood Weir, a $183.6 million Australian government commitment that will support 200 jobs during construction, and the Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme, an $11.6 million Australian government commitment due for completion in early 2022. Then we come to the Emu Swamp Dam, a project near Stanhope, constructing a 12 gigalitre dam on the Severn River. The dam will increase water security and provide growers with the confidence and certainty to expand agricultural production. Further, we've committed $4.8 million in Queensland through the grid Connections funding pathway. This is an initiative about driving the construction of smaller-scale projects to improve water security and reliability right across the nation.