Wednesday, 29 November 2023

Water policy

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:20): (379) My question is for the Minister for Water. While Victoria refuses to sign the new Murray–Darling Basin plan, which is set to pass federal Parliament today, the proposed amendments will in any case apply equally to Victoria. Under the agreement, the Commonwealth does not actually need the permission of the states to purchase water from willing sellers. However, as a result of failing to sign up to the deal, the Victorian government will not be eligible for funding for transitional assistance for regional communities impacted by water purchases by the Commonwealth. The federal Labor member for Bendigo Ms Chesters recently made an excellent speech in Parliament that is worth reading if you have not yet had a chance. She said:

… I really hope my Labor colleagues in the Victorian government are listening and get on board with the plan ‍… I strongly urge the Victorian government to pick up the phone and start working with us.

Minister, will you listen to your federal Victorian Labor colleagues and get on board with the new Murray–Darling Basin plan?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:21): Thank you for that question. It is important at the outset to note that the Victorian and Commonwealth governments have a fundamental difference in policy position as it relates to the impact of buybacks and to the way in which they harm communities. When we look to the statistics from the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, the Commonwealth’s own authority, we know that the last round of buybacks – 550 gigalitres from the high-reliability water systems of the southern basin – cost 3200 ‍jobs. We also know that there are a range of projects within Victoria’s work plan that have delivered and continue to deliver benefit to Victorian environments.

As part of a package of works and commitments, as part of our agreement to sign up to the Murray–‍Darling Basin plan, to sign up to the agreements that were reached not only in the first instance when legislation was created but as a consequence of the 2018 amendments on the socio-economic criteria, Victoria remains committed to delivering on the plan as it was agreed. Victoria also remains determined to advocate for Victorian environments. I would have thought that that is something that you are also interested in doing. Rather than sending a vast superhighway of water down to one part of the Murray–Darling Basin, we need to take care of returning water to all environments. This is where our projects have such an element of relevance not just to Victorian flood plains but also to the importance of balance, to the importance of making sure that projects such as the VMFRP, the Living Murray program and the sorts of sites that I hope you would visit, which are able to do more water with one-tenth of the volume that might otherwise be required for an overbank flooding event, can then build in a measure of climate adaptation and resilience that will be of increasing importance into the future.

I am determined, as I have said to my federal counterparts, as I have said to a range of stakeholders, ministerial representatives and communities not just here in Victoria but across the basin, to make sure that we remain at the table and that we remain amenable and open and available and ready and willing and able to have discussions and negotiations with the Commonwealth on how to fund these projects and how to make sure that in returning water to the environment we do so in a way that balances the various needs of communities across the basin and also makes sure that all environments, including Victorian environments, get the benefit of future Commonwealth investment.

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:24): I thank the minister for her answer, and I will take that as a no. To be clear, Victorian basin communities may be subjected to Commonwealth buybacks regardless of what this government’s position is, but you are going to miss out on Commonwealth funding to offset any potential negative socio-economic impacts – like the ones you have talked about – because of your ongoing refusal to sign on to the agreement. This is part of what your federal Victorian Labor colleagues are concerned about: their communities are going to miss out. Is the Victorian government going to step in and provide funding assistance for any communities impacted by Commonwealth buybacks?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:25): Thank you for that supplementary question. Let us talk about the importance of managing a range of interests and investments and priorities across Victorian communities. The Murray–Darling Basin plan is something that Victoria has signed up to. We remain committed to delivering on our obligations and our commitments under that agreement.

Sarah Mansfield interjected.

Harriet SHING: I will take up that interjection. You have just referred to the old plan and the new plan. The plan, as it stands, signed up all basin jurisdictions: the Commonwealth, the ACT, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. That requires us to return a volume of water to the environment, and Victoria is the jurisdiction that has returned the most water to the environment since its inception. No other jurisdiction has done more.

Sarah Mansfield: On a point of order, President, in the last 6 seconds I would just like the minister to return to the question, which is: will the Victorian government step in to provide funding?

Michael Galea: On the point of order, President, the minister was being directly relevant to an interjection put by the member.

The PRESIDENT: I will call the minister to the question.

Harriet SHING: No other jurisdiction has done more. I want to partner with the Commonwealth. I would hope that you get on board to help that to happen.