I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 28 June 2012:

The Murray Darling draft Basin Plan, and in undertaking the inquiry the committee must consider:

  (a)   the science and modelling relevant to the development of the draft Basin Plan;

  (b)   the outcomes of various scenarios of water recovery, including, but not limited to, the 2750GL featured in the draft Basin Plan, and the implications of groundwater extraction;

  (c)   the operation of the review mechanisms contained in the draft Basin Plan;

  (d)   system constraints that have an impact on the draft Basin Plan, and the information and research available to the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) relating to redesigned river management options;

  (e)   the interaction of the draft Basin Plan with relevant legal requirements;

  (f)   the MDBA’s engagement with basin communities, including original Indigenous owners; and

  (g)   any other matters.

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Hanson-Young be agreed to.