Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Ministers statements: water policy

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy, Minister for Equality) (12:44): To follow on from the question that I received earlier about water, I do want to touch on the water council meeting that occurred last week. This ministerial council was about the Murray-Darling Basin plan and the work that a range of jurisdictions are doing to achieve the stated objectives of the plan. At the meeting itself I was very, very clear on Victoria’s position, and we remain fully committed to implementing the plan as it has been agreed and to balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes in a way that was and indeed is intended under the plan itself.

Victoria has, as you would be aware, already made significant progress towards implementation and delivery of the plan, and I am really proud of what it is that we have been able to achieve in recent years, despite considerable hardship and the impact of those changes upon communities, irrigators and indeed primary producers in northern Victoria. So despite the state facing many, many setbacks in recent years, including bushfires, devastating floods and the impact of the pandemic on workforce availability and indeed the cost of materials, we are on track to deliver 98 per cent of our commitments under the plan by 2026.

It was on that basis that I in fact sought an extension of two years in order to deliver those projects to bring us to 98 per cent of delivery of the plan by 2026, including the constraints projects that were referred to earlier. Not only do these projects deliver more water to the regions and enable us to deliver more water to the environment, they also capture the efficiency gains that we are looking for and enable us to bring cultural water back to traditional owners, with the landmark Water Is Life project really setting a national pace for engagement with traditional owners. This is important work and it does go on. I am keen to ensure that I am continuing to advocate for Victoria’s interests in this space.