Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Senator Conroy. Can the minister guarantee that neither Minister Burke nor the new chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, fellow former New South Wales Labor minister Craig Knowles, encouraged the latest resignation of a Murray-Darling Basin Authority board member, Dr Diana Day?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government has not sought to inappropriately direct the authority or interfere in the authority’s matters. The government is getting on with the business of reform while the opposition simply opposes and stalls. The role and independence of the authority in developing the Basin Plan is clearly set out in the Water Act, championed by those opposite and Mr Turnbull in 2007—legislation that was passed twice with bipartisan support. The government strongly supports the independence of the authority. Accusations that the minister directed the Murray-Darling Basin Authority or interfered in any way are completely without foundation. Senator Birmingham well knows this, because Senator Birmingham has indicated that he intends to raise questions about whether the minister is compromising the independence of the authority, but the minister has indicated and made it very clear in all conversations that he is not giving directions and that he respects the authority’s independence. So Senator Birmingham’s attempt to trail his coat through this slime and mud that he is involved in throwing is utterly without foundation.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the minister failed to mention the departure of Dr Diana Day or the departure of the previous chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Mr Taylor, will he rule out any encouragement by Mr Knowles or Mr Burke in either of those departures? Can he further rule out reports that Mr Knowles has been planning to sideline the board and that Mr Burke is planning to cleanse the board?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Senator Birmingham well knows from Senate estimates, Mr Rob Freeman, the CEO of the authority, confirmed at Senate estimates that Mr Burke respected their independence. Senator Birmingham has continued with this campaign. He has continued to try and throw mud and engage in this behaviour, and at every turn the Liberal Party will stop at nothing to avoid a conversation about water reform. Those opposite—

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

A point of order on relevance, Mr President. Uncharacteristically, in the first part of his answer Senator Conroy addressed Senator Birmingham’s supplementary question. Now, with about a quarter of the time left to go, he is engaging in some ritualistic abuse of the Liberal Party. That is not prologue; it is not preamble. It is not relevant either directly or indirectly.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis, there is no point of order. Senator Conroy, you have 15 seconds remaining to answer the question if there is anything further you wish to add.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have completed my answer.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. With the resignation of the chair of the authority, resignations of board members of the authority and the revelations the minister just mentioned from estimates last week that Minister Burke sought to influence in some way the recommendations of the authority, how can anyone accept the Prime Minister’s promise from the election campaign that the authority is independent from government and that it is appropriate being independent from government? Isn’t this just another clear-cut broken election promise from the Gillard government?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me reject utterly the premise of that question. I repeat what I said in my earlier answers: the government strongly supports the independence of the authority. Accusations that the minister directed the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to change numbers in the guide—and all of the other filth that those opposite are now engaged in trying to assert—are completely without foundation. Senator Birmingham continues to trail his coat when he used to be a serious conversationalist and a serious player in this debate. Now he is reduced to making unfounded, inaccurate and untrue allegations about Minister Burke. I reject them utterly. No attempt to verbal me will get you anywhere at all.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.