Page 174 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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Unfortunately for some players, there may never be enough water set aside for irrigation, never enough set aside for environmental flows. And South Australia, by reason of its geography, will always be the last man at the table and wanting more.
The royal commission report provides an opportunity to review current arrangements. What value there is in the ACT symbolically condemning in totality the administration of the plan is questionable. But then again we should not be surprised at the language in this motion, which comes from Ms Cheyne, the member for condemnation. After all, any view that is not hers, in her view, is embarrassing or to be condemned.
MS ORR (Yerrabi) (3.59): I rise in support of Ms Cheyne’s motion and I thank her for bringing this important environmental issue forward for discussion. The current situation that we see unfolding along the Murray-Darling Basin is an environmental disaster. Most of us would be aware of the significant role the Murray-Darling plays in sustaining Australia’s agricultural sector, as well as maintaining the biodiversity of much of eastern and south-eastern Australia. As it is the largest river system in our country, stretching from Queensland through New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, and South Australia, these respective governments, along with our federal counterparts, must be held accountable for the efforts they undertake to sustain the vitality of this precious natural resource.
Today I would like to highlight a number of the water quality issues the ACT government is undertaking within my electorate and right across the territory that contribute to the wellbeing of this basin. The ACT healthy waterways project and its waterways sites assisted in improving water quality across the ACT and, in turn, the Murray-Darling Basin. The project reduces overall nutrients and pollutants within our creeks, waterways and lakes that are not feeding into the basin.
Within my electorate of Yerrabi the ACT government has undertaken work to improve the Evatt wetlands and create an established urban catchment. As specified by ACT healthy waterways, the Evatt site includes two wetlands, a sediment pond, a vegetated swale and the rehabilitation of degraded anabranches on two of the sites. It is expected that, through this rehabilitation, close to 17,000 kilograms of pollutants and sediment will be removed before the treated water makes its way into Ginninderra Creek and through to the Murrumbidgee. With 18 other projects similar to Evatt currently underway, the ACT government is playing an important role in keeping our waterways healthy and protecting our environment.
H2OK “keep our waterways healthy” is another initiative that contributes to the management and protection of waterways in the ACT. The initiative focuses on educating Canberrans on the importance of protecting our waterways, including through the “only rain down the stormwater drain campaign”. H2OK is operational within the upper Murrumbidgee River catchment and supports Canberrans and our neighbours across the border to change behaviours that may negatively impact water quality around their homes. Both of these initiatives contribute to the ACT government’s holistic approach to improving water quality throughout the ACT for the benefit of our local environment and the health of the wider Murray-Darling Basin.
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