Page 172 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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The ACT healthy waterways project, which I acknowledge is in conjunction with the federal government, has also made a splash as part of ongoing efforts to improve water quality and the environment across the territory and the broader Murray-Darling Basin. Central to this initiative is the establishment of ponds, wetlands and other types of natural infrastructure designed to reduce the level of nutrients, sediment and pollutants entering our lakes and our waterways.
It is clear our government is committed to working collaboratively with other states to ensure the success of the Murray-Darling Basin. Our actions yet again reflect a broader commitment to ensuring Canberra continues to have a secure supply of clean, safe drinking water, and an environment of which we can all be proud.
Since condemning the careless New South Wales legislation that prioritises feral horses over our pristine national parks and water catchments, the ACT government has taken the extraordinary step of declaring our alpine wetlands endangered, due to the threat posed by this introduced species. As ACT parks and conservation manager Brett McNamara told the Canberra Times earlier this month:
… it’s absolutely critical that our catchment and the integrity of that catchment is maintained not only for today’s generation but also future generations as well.
It is bad enough that our water security is under threat from feral horses, but to then have a threat from another source is making the work of our environmental officers much harder.
I think we can all agree that the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission report is sobering, to say the least. It is an investigation that has reinforced grave concerns over the management of our country’s most extensive river network, a river that crosses multiple jurisdictions, a river network that is the life blood of so many communities, including ours. I call on members to unite today in condemning the maladministration of the Murray-Darling Basin and to support the ACT government’s actions with respect to the river network. We are a government that cares about waterways, and yet again we are taking a stand.
I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (3.54): Once again it seems the government backbenchers have clearly run out of local issues to talk about, so we have an aspirational motion clearly within the federal political arena. Nevertheless, the Murray-Darling is, of course, of significant importance to Australia. I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the Canberra Liberals.
The Murray-Darling is Australia’s largest and most complex river system. It supports a $24 billion annual agriculture industry, nearly 10,000 irrigated agricultural businesses and an $8 billion tourism industry. It is home to 2.6 million Australians. It is also home to 16 internationally recognised and protected wetlands, 120 waterbird species and 46 native fish species. The Murray-Darling system has strong economic and environmental implications for Australia. Yes, the ACT is a signatory to the
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