CONLON: Good morning Senator.
WONG: Good morning to you both.
CONLON: You had the opportunity to vote as the Premier wants all MPs to, why not?
WONG: Well, I want to deliver for the River, Im not interested in posturing for the River and motions in the Senate wont actually deliver for the River. If you want to talk about delivering, you might recall that when I was Water Minister I argued pretty long and hard for a more healthy river. I purchased about 900 billion litres of water entitlements by the time of the last election and we put in place the first agreement between the States.
CONLON: But when you say its posturing to laypeople to us as voters a motion in the Senate would represent a chance to say yep, weve got to do this and weve got to do it right and the River needs that much water.
WONG: And what Id say to people is what matters is the outcome we actually get, not a motion in the Senate. And the reason the Government, through the Ministerial Council, has modelled a higher amount which is the 3,200 [gigalitres] than the previous draft plan by the Authority, is because, as Mr Burke said, we wanted a higher figure. We thought that was appropriate and that was what was agreed by all States, including South Australia.
CONLON: So what do you reckon were going to get this time?
WONG: Ultimately thats a matter for Minister Burke Im no longer the Water Minister. But I did think it was important to come on your program and just press again that Im a South Australian and I grew up spending a fair bit of time down at Goolwa and around Lake Alexandrina, and the reality is that this is the time we actually have to look at what is the best outcome for the River. Its not necessarily just making public statements which we know wont be delivered.
CONLON: But you cant even get your own side lined up can you, effectively, because this is a very delicate matter in Victoria and New South Wales.
WONG: Yes, you might recall there was a fair bit of aggression and people upstream were pretty upset with me when I was Water Minister and I was accused of all sorts of things, including shutting down towns because I was buying water from willing sellers. It is a difficult proposition. There are a lot of people in the upstream states who want a different result. I agree with the approach that Tony Burkes taken where he said, look, I think 2750 [gigalitres] which is what the Authority first came up with needs a bit more work, and he worked through the Ministerial Council to get the 3200 [gigalitres] modelled, and then obviously the Council and then the Minister have to make a decision. So we are doing a lot of work on this and weve bought a lot of water. And thats what we need to try and get an outcome that can be delivered, that delivers a more healthy river for the country and for Adelaide.
CONLON: If thats the case, is there a danger that were spending millions of bucks on a fight for the Murray campaign which is all PR and no substance?
WONG: I think the South Australians are doing the right thing, they should be, whether its through the Government or through the media, a continued advocacy for the River. I think for too long over the history of this country we know that some of the downstream perspective hasnt been the one thats been most loudly heard. I do think its a good thing to continue to press for a better outcome. The point Im making is lets judge people on what they actually deliver, not on what they can jump up and say in the Senate which doesnt actually cost anything or require anything to get an outcome.
CONLON: Thanks for your time.
ENDS