Page 180 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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that there will be a meeting of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council in due course to discuss the report and respond to those recommendations.
As the minister representing the territory, my aim is to develop a constructive way forward to improve basin plan implementation and to restore community confidence and scientific rigour to support full implementation of the basin plan. The issues raised are complex, and the crisis is made even more acute and difficult by the occurrence of a drought across many parts of the basin. The ACT government has supported the overarching objectives of the basin plan from its commencement in 2012, and the subsequent basin plan implementation agreement in 2013 and related implementation measures. Basin compliance since the media exposure of July 2017 has become a significant issue. I can report that the ACT has met all its compliance requirements, including metering and enforcement.
The ACT government provided a submission to the royal commission on the operations and effectiveness of the basin plan, and indicated several matters of concern for the ACT. In particular, I mention that, unlike for the rest of the basin, the ACT was set a net sustainable diversion limit, SDL, which has an impact on the scope of water planning and water management. For example, the net SDL discourages measures to reduce sewage returns to the river system. And I mention the slow progress being made to develop and support interstate water trading between the ACT and New South Wales.
I am able to advise that, following our submission, we are now working more closely with the commonwealth government, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the New South Wales government to address these issues. Because of the nature, location and use of water, the ACT has not been directly involved in a number of the problematic supply and constraints measures reported on in the media.
The ACT government fully appreciates the importance of a healthy, well-managed basin system where not only is recognition of improving the environmental health of the basin stated but measures are implemented to improve the environmental conditions of the whole basin. Since the commencement of the basin plan, the ACT has endeavoured to fulfil its full range of commitments as required under the basin plan. This is reflected in the annual implementation milestone reports and basin plan evaluation reports. The ACT will be submitting its water resource plans and long-term watering plan to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in the coming months.
Our leadership on climate change has ensured that we consider this across a range of different plans and programs. As the Chief Minister noted yesterday, responding to climate change is not only an environmental necessity; it is an economic imperative. It is only right and proper that water policies account for the changes that climate change will bring. I can advise the Assembly that our water resource plans explicitly consider climate change and the associated implications of a hotter climate, water for the environment, cultural water and security of water for a growing population.
We are working with the commonwealth government to establish a range of water efficiency projects, providing up to 15 gigalitres of water savings annually. That is
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