TONY BURKE, SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER:You can all mark the 29th of November as the date on which Barnaby Joyce refused to commit to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Lets make no mistake in terms of what it took to get each State over the line. There were different mechanisms in the Plan that had each of the States agreeing. South Australia came on board once the additional 450 gigalitres was included in the Plan. And Barnaby Joyce today refused to commit to the 450 gigalitres and then, when asked directly by Kate Ellis, whether or not hes been involved in putting up Murray-Darling Basin money for Budget savings, refused to deny it. Refused to deny it.
We know that the moment Barnaby Joyce got his hands on the water portfolio that he wanted it for a very particular reason. We know that the reason some of his colleagues have backgrounded that hes a hero in some of the areas of regional Australia is because they wanted him to tear apart the agreement, the historic agreement that is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Today in the Parliament, the additional environmental gain from those 450 gigalitres, that was the turning point for the South Australian government, the turning point for my own colleagues from South Australia here, the turning point for media organisations like the Adelaide Advertiser, was because that was the amount that, if delivered, would create a fundamental difference in the health of the rivers, in the health of the Basin.
Barnaby Joyce has been using weasel words up until today. Hes been saying oh I support the Plan. Yeah thats sort of part of the Plan, yeah thats mentioned, yeah I support the Plan. Today asked squarely can he agree the additional 450 gigalitres? - he will not confirm it. Asked if he has been offering up Murray Darling money as Budget savings, as Budget cuts; he will not deny it. Barnaby Joyce being able to free range on this portfolio will mean that we dont get the Murray Darling back to the state of health that four years ago today was part of a bipartisan agreement.
SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Look, its very clear there is a split in this Government between Barnaby Joyce and Malcolm Turnbull. We hear from Mr Turnbull all sorts of pacifying comments, it will be right, it will be alright, well deliver it. But we hear from Mr Joyce over and over again, confirmation that he doesnt want to deliver this plan. That he wants to tear up this plan. That he wants to implement the policy that he always believed in you should just move to where the water is. Thats what he told South Australians - just move to where the water is.
But theres a message here to Nick Xenophon. Because Nick Xenophon has stated very clearly and very loudly, that he wont deal with the Government, everything is on hold, until the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is secure. Well it is not secure. Barnaby Joyce has again confirmed that today. And yet Nick Xenophon continues to vote with the Government, as late as last night, on Government legislation.
So Id say this to Nick Xenophon your actions have to match your words. Your actions have to match your words. Dont come in and tell us that you wont be dealing with the Government unless the Murray-Darling Basin plan is safe when it is clear out of the mouth of the Deputy Prime Minister it is not safe. It is anything but, and we all know that Barnaby has never supported it. He has never supported it, he has always wanted to tear it up and he always wants to just keep telling us, just move to where the water is.
JOURNALIST: Politically where do you think this leaves the negotiations between Senator Xenophon and the Government on the ABCC?
WONG: Ultimately that is a matter for Nick, and what I would say again is I think people want Nick to ensure that his actions match his words, some very fine words about holding out. Well, he is not holding out. He is voting with the Government. He is continuing to vote with the Government and hes doing it whilst on the floor of the Parliament the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia is making clear the plan is not safe.
JOURNALIST: In regard to the $1.77 billion special account. The Basin Plan outlines how that money should be spent. Whats your understanding about how that can actually be accessed? It appears the Minister cant access it without changing the legislation, is there other ways around it.
BURKE: I heard him say that. I suggest that hed start by reading the Plan. If you go to the section you find the detail as to how you do in section 7.17 of the Plan. Now, he quotes one paragraph which says you need to have improved or neutral socio-economic outcomes. What he doesnt then read is the next two paragraphs which say youve got evidence of this if its a voluntary participation of an irrigator in on-farm efficiency or if youve got projects from the States. So it actually takes you through exactly how to do it. To be able to run successful programs that irrigators want to take up, we know is possible, because youve got two people here side by side that ran projects that irrigators would take up, that would provide that efficiency and as a result provided more water for the Murray-Darling Basin and for the rivers.
So Barnaby Joyce reads out the first paragraph of that section, where the problem is, and then he doesnt read the next two paragraphs that say exactly how you can do that.
JOURNALIST: Thats in regards to the spending but the $1.77 billion seems to be locked away for exclusive use of the 450 how can the minister access that money?
BURKE: For those purpose, for those exact purposes.
JOURNALIST: But youve suggested that he wants to take that money to put towards budget savings and Im just wondering how that can --.
BURKE: Thats right, the process as to what happens with any process in Budget savings is they talk to their colleagues, they deal with it through their cabinet processes, and then you see it in a Budget and then legislative amendments can follow. And thats the exact process. When we asked Barnaby Joyce today, when Kate Ellis asked, whether or not hed commenced that process, he refused to deny it. He had the look on his face as though he was shocked wed found out.
JOURNALIST: Senator Wong, this week there have been a lot of disparaging comments about South Australia and its water requirements. Do you think that the emotion that was around during the drought of years gone by has that left the argument and people upstream have forgotten why that environmental water was promised in the first place?
WONG: Thats a good question, and as you know the reason South Australians care so much about this, the reason all of the people around me care so much about this is because we have lived through this. Weve seen what it means. Weve seen what it means to communities, to industries, and we know what the drought over the 2009 period meant. We saw what it meant to the Murray Mouth and we saw what it meant to salinity levels in the river. And we dont want to go back there. And South Australians dont like it when senior politicians from other states tell us to move. We dont want to move. We live where we live. What we want is for everyone to work together so we have a healthy river and thats what this plan delivers.