Senate debates

Tuesday, 11 August 2015

Motions

Northern Australia

4:01 pm

Photo of David BushbyDavid Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

At the request of Senator O'Sullivan, I move:

That the Senate endorses the Northern Australia White Paper that will unlock the capacity and capability of the north through increased investment in water infrastructure, including:

(a) $200 million of investment in water infrastructure in the north as part of a new National Water Infrastructure Fund;

(b) $15 million for water resource assessments to determine available water (and soils) for development in the Mitchell River (Queensland), West Kimberley (Western Australia) and Darwin (Northern Territory) catchments;

(c) up to $5 million for a feasibility study for Nullinga, and up to another $5 million for a soils analysis of the Ord Stage Three; and

(d) a feasibility study into the 4 metre extension on the Lake Argyle spillway that would increase storage capacity by nearly 5 million mega litres - the biggest increase in public water storage in Australia in more than 4 decades.

Question agreed to.