One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts grilled the Water Minister at Senate Estimates. Photo: Screenshot of Australian Parliament hearing.
Federal Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt rejected a call for a royal commission into water corruption and denied a claim that his government was “destroying family farms” at a heated parliamentary hearing (Senate Estimates) last month.
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts grilled the minister on the value of government buybacks of irrigator water licences before posing a pointed question.
“I’m just curious – once you have destroyed family farms through the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and emptied out the bush, what will Australians in your cities, and your millions of new arrivals, eat?” he asked.
“The government’s view is that the long-term health of the Murray-Darling Basin system and the future of the agriculture industry in that region rely on better environmental management of water in the basin. We think this is essential to future food security,” Minister Watt replied.
“I’m sure many, many farmers don’t agree with you on that one,” Minister Roberts said.
Under the controversial Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the Federal Government has been buying back water licences from irrigators to improve the health of the river system.
However, politicians such as Senator Roberts and Griffith-based NSW MP Helen Dalton claim this has stunted food production and devastated the economies of rural towns along the river.
Mrs Dalton has called for a federal royal commission into what she sees as corruption, waste and mismanagement under the basin plan.
“Imagine there are 1000 cars outside a petrol station, waiting to fill up, and the owner is standing there pouring all the petrol down the drain,” she said.
“That’s what state and federal governments are doing with our water.
“Only an independent royal commission, that can force politicians to give evidence under oath, will be able to end this waste and corruption.”
In February she put forward a motion calling for a royal commission to the NSW Parliament. Her motion passed unanimously, something Senator Roberts reminded Minister Watt of at Senate Estimates.
“Your own party, the Labor Party in NSW, voted for this measure,” Senator Roberts said to Minister Watt.
“Do you support a federal royal commission, and, if not, on what basis do you disagree with your state counterparts?”
“I’m not sure that it was a unanimous vote,” Minister Watt responded.
“It’s not my view that we need yet another royal commission into water policy or the Murray-Darling Basin. I recognise there are some independents, particularly in the NSW Parliament, who support that. This year, we have several reviews underway around the future management of the Murray-Darling. You may have seen, just last week, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority released a discussion paper about the next version of the plan.
“My view is that we should proceed with the work that is already intended, rather than launch an expensive repeat of a royal commission.”
