Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Wong, by no later than 10 am on Friday, 7 October 2022, any briefing notes, file notes, emails and reports since 1 July 2017 regarding the:

(a) 'Barmah-Millewa Feasibility Study';

(b) terms of reference and membership of the 'Modernising Murray River Systems' independent technical assessment of infrastructure in the southern Murray-Darling Basin; and

(c) feasibility study for the 'River Murray bank stabilisation works'.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A crucial element of the delivery of water, as defined in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, is the ability to ensure that its delivery is in conjunction with constraints management. The key constraint on the Murray River system is the Barmah Choke. The natural capacity to deliver water through the choke has declined over time. Without addressing this bottleneck for enabling overbank flows through agreements with landholders, the delivery of additional water will not result in any better environmental outcomes. These issues and associated options to address them need to be investigated. That is why the coalition government commissioned the study.

Question agreed to.