TRANSCRIPT: PRESS CONFERENCE, 3 December 2019

E&OE

Subject: Murray-Darling Basin Plan

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Chris, I can understand their passion, I get that, I’m a son of a generational farming family. I understand their passion, I understand they’re hurt but it hasn’t rained and that’s difficult. And of course, we’re doing what we can. As Chris Brooks the organiser said the he was actually pleased with the outcome [inaudible] we are now going to make sure that the water sharing agreements with the states [indistinct]…

Trouble is there’s a number of people here today, and look, there’s big crowd, there’s no question. If we allow the basin [indistinct]… 10 times the environmentalist, 10 times the climate activist, 10 times the [indistinct] as what we’ve seen today. Now they’re the doers, they’re the workers, they’re growing food and fibre for and on behalf of this nation. Their fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers were sent out to very dry arid plains and made those Gardens of Eden, they really did. And yes, they deserve every bit of respect – they get that from the National Party, absolutely. They get that from the Government. But we can’t make it rain; we can make what we’ve got with the plan more workable and flexible and that’s what David Littleproud’s doing and that’s what we’re doing as a government.

JOURNALIST:

It got pretty willing there.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Of course, but, you know, you’ve got to turn up. I’ve turned up today. You know, and I’ve listened to them, I’ve seen their hurt, I’ve seen their anger.

JOURNALIST:

Do you expect them to be so angry?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well, yeah I do. I mean, they can’t get an income. I get that, I understand that. Of course, we don’t allocate water, the states do that. So we’ve got to work in with the states to get a more flexible, more workable outcome for them and we’ll do just that.

JOURNALIST:

When people say-

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

[Interrupts] I’ve got to get to a meeting. I’d really love to chat more but I actually have to get to a meeting.

JOURNALIST:

Can I ask you about George Christensen and there’s been some questions about obviously his travel to South East Asia – are you worried about that?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Well, all those matters were investigated by the AFP last year and they found no case to answer George has answered them himself, so I’ll leave it at that.