Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator McAllister, move:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges:

  (i) the devastating effect of drought on water supplies in Australian local communities, and

  (ii) that the recent bushfire crisis has compounded water insecurity in affected areas;

(b) notes that:

  (i) the Eurobodalla Shire Council's 2016 proposal for a second water storage facility in the southern part of the shire would add 3,000 mega litres of water storage to the region,

  (ii) the project has support from local and state governments, with the New South Wales (NSW) State Government committing $26 million in October 2019,

  (iii) the Eurobodalla Shire Council has called for a $51 million commitment from the Government to build the dam, noting they will fund the rest of the $105 million project, and

  (iv) all supporting parties should ensure the project is environmentally sound;

(c) recognises that:

  (i) Australians and regional communities are rightly sceptical about the Government's track record on water infrastructure and drought policy,

  (ii) in 2013, former Prime Minister Abbott said he would build 100 dams across Australia–three terms later and in its seventh year of power, the Government has failed to fulfil its promise,

  (iii) Prime Minister Morrison was caught out for being loose with the truth in October 2019 when he claimed his government was contributing more investment in NSW dam infrastructure than they actually were,

  (iv) more than two years after the announcement of the $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Facility, not a single dollar had been spent, and

  (v) that the Eurobodalla community has been waiting for a response from the Government since October 2019 in relation to their water storage proposal; and

(d) calls on the Federal Government to urgently respond to the Eurobodalla Shire Council's request for funds for the Southern Water Supply Storage project.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government acknowledges the impact of the drought and bushfires that are continuing to have an effect across regional communities. The government is getting on with the job of building new water infrastructure to meet the needs of regional Australia, and we've established the National Water Grid Authority to oversee a national approach. We reject the assertions made in section 3 of this motion as the government has committed up to $3½ billion through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility to build dams, weirs and pipelines. To date the government is committed to the delivery of 21 projects, including the Dungowan and Wyangala dams in New South Wales, and the government is actively working with state and territory governments to identify priorities for Commonwealth consideration. The Eurobodalla project is currently being considered under round 3 of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, with outcomes expected shortly.

Question agreed to.