Wednesday, 17 August 2022

Water policy

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:16): My question is for the Minister for Water. Minister, in the interests of irrigators in Northern Victoria, do you commit to fighting all attempts by federal Labor to use buybacks to deliver an additional 450 gigalitres of water to South Australia?

Ms SHING (Eastern Victoria—Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:16): Thank you, Ms Lovell, for that question. Again it is actually really useful. It may be belated, but we see an interest from the opposition around water in this state, and better late than never. What I would like to do with the time that I have available is perhaps inform the house of a range of things that have been undertaken since the former coalition government was voted out after nine years of inaction. We have seen the preparedness of Minister Plibersek and indeed others to come to the table to talk about the way in which resources can be managed for the benefit of all jurisdictions. One of the things that I note with great relief, as I am sure others will also do across Northern Victoria, is that despite the fact that under the coalition government there was no ministerial council since December 2020—your mates up in Canberra refused to sit around the table—

Mr Davis: On a point of order, President, it was a very specific question that was asked and, on a matter of relevance, the minister just needs to answer the question. She actually flagged that she was going to make a broader statement on matters she wanted to talk about. She just needs to answer the question.

The PRESIDENT: While I understand the question, I understand that the minute the minister got up on her feet there was interjection after interjection after interjection. I ask the minister to come back to the question.

Ms SHING: Thank you very much. And I look forward to being able to continue to talk without interjections, Ms Lovell and others. What we do need to do is address the pressing issues which are facing basin communities, and as you would be aware, Ms Lovell, the Murray Basin plan and indeed the authority and the history of management of water across this part of Australia have been a very longstanding issue.

I also want to confirm that, should you not be someone who reads the Weekly Times,I have actually indicated very clearly on a number of occasions that Victoria does not support buybacks or indeed any changes to the positive or neutral socio-economic criteria as they apply under the agreement that was established in 2018. This is where any sort of change must deliver a positive or neutral socio-economic benefit to communities, and in fact this is where my predecessor, Lisa Neville, worked tirelessly to make sure that Victoria’s interests were at every turn front and centre in the development and delivery of water policy and of decision-making in often a very hostile negotiating environment, including the absence of any preparedness by former minister Keith ‘No Minco Meetings’ Pitt. Now we are in a position to be able to continue to advocate for Victoria’s position, including as it relates to our position on buybacks. It is unfortunate you did not know about that position on buybacks already, Ms Lovell.

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:19): Thank you, Minister, and I note that you did not give a guarantee that you would fight all attempts by federal Labor to use buybacks. The former minister was quite good on that. But, Minister, will you—

Ms Pulford: On a point of order, President, our standing orders are pretty clear about the relationship between the substantive and its answer and the supplementary. Ms Lovell is seeking to completely turn around—in fact completely misrepresent—what the minister just said.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you for your point of order, but Ms Lovell had just started.

Ms LOVELL: Minister, will you guarantee there will be no relaxation of the current operational constraint limits on the transfer of water downstream? And furthermore, Minister, will you legislate the current operational constraint limits to protect Victorian irrigators’ entitlements and to prevent the environmental damage increased flows would cause?

Ms SHING (Eastern Victoria—Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:21): Thanks, Ms Lovell. What we have just heard in this chamber is your lack of knowledge around the way in which the legislative framework occurs and operates at an interjurisdictional level. What you would know, hopefully—and I look forward to an opportunity to assist you to become informed on this—is that the commonwealth legislation does not allow any buybacks toward the additional 450 gigalitres. It also does not allow for any departure from the positive or neutral socio-economic criteria which I have just referred to in answering the substantive. As I have indicated in my answer to the substantive question, I will be reiterating that strongly. I am grateful for the opportunity to actually be able to sit around a table with the new commonwealth government and with the new commonwealth minister, and if the commonwealth are in fact seeking to scrap that criteria, they should be aware that that was part of an agreement that was struck in 2018.