Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Watt. The government continues to spend billions on water buybacks which rip the economic rug out from underneath communities in our nation's food bowl. These buybacks are occurring despite the Commonwealth having more water than it knows what to do with. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, the CEWH, is the largest holder of water in the country by far, and it has rarely if ever used all the water it's allocated in a given year. This week, the Liberal and National parties introduced a bill to conduct a commission of inquiry into the environmental water use in the basin. You dismissed this, saying the call for the commission of inquiry would be pulling apart the plan. Why won't the government support a proper inquiry, which farmers are calling for, into how taxpayer money and environmental water are being used?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Cadell. Well, what do you know? In the final sitting week of a six-week block, on the final sitting day before the Farrer by-election, the National Party discover the Murray-Darling Basin. After months of total silence about this issue, the Farrer by-election is called. The Nats are on track to come fourth, as admitted by their former leader Mr Littleproud. We have had One Nation call for a royal commission into water. We've had Michelle Milthorpe, the Independent candidate, call for a royal commission into water. So finally the National Party wake from their slumber and have this original idea: let's have a royal commission into water. That is how slow these people are, and this is why Australians are walking away from the National Party in droves, because they have stopped being thought leaders when it comes to regional Australia and they have started becoming thought followers. They have become a party whose sole reason for existence is to distribute preferences either to the Liberal Party, to a teal Independent or to the One Nation party.

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

Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance, a point of order: the minister has gone nowhere near why the government won't support an inquiry.

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

Thank you, Senator McKenzie. I will remind the minister of the question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting the National Party's request for a royal commission following One Nation's request for a royal commission following the teal Independent's request for a royal commission.

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

Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, and the minister did do this in his speech this morning: we are not calling for a royal commission.

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

Senator McKenzie, that is not a point of order. Seriously!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now Senator Cadell, on behalf of the National Party, has squealed and objected to water buybacks. I can tell you someone in this parliament who likes water buybacks, and his name is Angus Taylor, the Leader of the Opposition. Who can remember Mr Taylor's involvement in that dodgy $80 million deal signed off by Barnaby Joyce, who used to be a member of the National Party as well? Barnaby Joyce, as the then minister for water, signed off an $80 million deal to buy water from a company linked to Angus Taylor and headquartered in the Cayman Islands. That's how much the Liberal and National parties hate water buybacks: they want to get in on them, especially when there's an $80 million deal at stake. You have no credibility on water, and that is why Australians are walking away from you.

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

Before I come to Senator Cadell, Minister Watt, I remind you to refer to members in the other place by their correct titles. Senator Cadell, first supplementary?

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I was at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority meeting last year. It went for two days, and you sent a 10-minute video, so thank you for that. Recently, Senator Canavan, shadow minister for water Michael McCormack and Nationals candidate Brad Robertson visited Narrandera, where they were told of the shocking state of their tap water. The difference between the water we can get in Canberra from the tap and the water they get in Narrandera is visible to anyone who looks on my desk. The people in Narrandera have applied for funding from the National Water Grid so they can have clean drinking water again. When will your government fund a water treatment plant for the people of Narrandera?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, again, for the supplementary to the dorothy dixer—because, yet again, the National Party are coming late to the party. After 10 years of coalition government, where the coalition spent not a single dollar on the water supply in Narrandera, which happens to be in the electorate of Farrer, all of a sudden you're interested. And what you haven't caught up on is that, after you did nothing for these people for 10 years, we have funded a business case into a water purification plant in Narrandera, which you never did. For 10 years you did nothing at all. We are actually acting, just like we are acting on the voluntary water buybacks that are needed to sustain the Murray-Darling basin.

It's good that Senator Canavan has walked away from his previous position, where he said that farmers are no longer the sole constituency of the National Party. Now he loves farmers, and it's got nothing to do with the by-election whatsoever! Everyone in regional Australia has walked away from you. They are walking to other parties; they are walking to Independents and One Nation. It is over for the National Party.

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

Senator Cadell, a second supplementary?

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, we have spent $13 billion on a basin plan, but we cannot even deliver clean drinking water to the basin communities, and farmers constantly feel under attack. Isn't it time to stop the buybacks and instead invest in providing basin communities with potable and reliable water supply?

Again, after 10 years of coalition government, where they let the people of Narrandera go through drinking water like what you've got on your table, and not a cent spent on fixing the problem, we now have a government that's investing in fixing the problem. And you're complaining after turning your back on these people for 10 years. This is why the National Party is on track to come fourth at best in the Farrer by-election—because people know you have no solutions for them. How much did they get in South Australia? Half a per cent?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, point seven.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's why you got 0.7 per cent of the vote in the South Australian election, because people know you have nothing to offer.

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

Senator Canavan, I'm sure you can see Senator Henderson on her feet, and I'm waiting for silence.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, the minister has repeatedly said 'you' in his answers. Could you ask him to—

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

Senator Henderson.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

make his comments through the chair, please?

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

Resume your seat. Senator Watt, you do need to direct your questions to the chair.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thought Senator Henderson would be a little bit busy on Victorian upper house preselections, but obviously she's got time to interpret standing orders as well. She's got such a good record that way.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Yes, they all agree. They all agree. This government is finally acting on restoring the environmental health of the Murray-Darling Basin, which is bringing back waterbirds, bringing back the health of that water system and sustaining agriculture long into the future.

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

Order, Senator Canavan! I did indicate to Senator Cadell this morning that I thought he had a prop on his desk. He assured me it wasn't and, to his credit, he hasn't used it as a prop. However, Senator Canavan, you have. You know it's disorderly, and please cease doing that.