TRANSCRIPT: Doorstop interview – Menindee NSW 7 February 2019

With:

The Hon Mark Coulton MP, Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment; Member for Parkes

Subjects: Murray Darling Basin Plan; fish kills; Community discussions; Scott Buchholz MP; Nationals’ Senate candidates; Queensland rainfall.

E&OE

MARK COULTON:

I have my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and the Chief Executive of the Murray Darling Basin Authority Phillip Glyde here today in Menindee. We have had a meeting with a group of the local people and people from Broken Hill and they have expressed their concern and upset at the state of the river. They have explained how the fish kills have impacted on this community; and also we’ve heard some suggestions as to what they think might be useful remedies in the future.

The meeting was very worthwhile, and we have also met with some of the  local tourist operators and the Menindee water action group, and also the General Manager of Central Darling talking about some other practical things that we can do as the Federal Government that may not alleviate the issue in the river but would be beneficial to the community of Menindee in a more general sense. So those meetings have been worthwhile.

I have been talking with my colleagues in the NSW Government and I believe that we are going to need a co-ordinated approach across both the levels of Government to attack some of these issues and projects that are important out here. I will certainly be going away from today with a clear understanding of what the priorities of the community are.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

I have come out here at the invitation of Mark Coulton, the Member for Parkes, to hear first-hand and to see first-hand the issues after the recent Menindee Lakes fish kill. That footage went right across Australia, indeed right across the world, and it’s something that no-one of course wanted to see. It’s not the first fish kill that has occurred in this system. But it has been one of the most devastating.

And the fact that Mark and I have come here today in good faith shows that the Federal Government does care. We do very much care and we do very much want to work in conjunction with our NSW colleagues. When the Menindee Lakes system dropped below 480 gigalitres it did become the responsibility of the NSW State Government and I know that Niall Blair, the Minister for Water Resources, has come here a couple of times. I know the Deputy Premier John Barilaro was here just last week.

So Mark and I were here today to hear from passionate locals about some action they feel we need to take in conjunction with State Government, in conjunction with the Murray Darling Basin Authority. I was glad that Phillip Glyde the chief executive of the authority was here as well. It is an independent statutory body. It is putting in place what the States and what the Commonwealth has asked it to do as far as the Murray Darling Basin is concerned.

Wherever you go in the Murray Darling Basin, people are passionate about their communities. I once represented Griffith and of course some of the things I used to hear at Griffith to what I heard here today – but nonetheless passionate. They all care about their community. They care about their towns. They care about their environment. What they don’t want to see is fish kill incidents like we’ve seen in the last couple of months.

But the fact is too, productive water is also needed for agriculture. Under the Murray Darling Basin Plan, 20% of previously productive use water has been extracted. This area, the Murray Darling Basin, produces 40% of Australia’s agricultural output. What we do need to be able to continue to do in the Murray Darling Basin is to grow the world’s very best food and fibre. It’s food and fibre used domestically; it’s food and fibre used right around the world; and our farmers do it the best.

I know there’s been a lot of blame pointed at cotton growers, rice growers and other farmers, not entirely fair. The fact is, in the Cubbie Station area there has only been 300 hectares of cotton grown. They are growing 1% of cotton across the Murray Darling Basin that they could in a generally good season. They’ve had no water allocations.

The fact is it is dry. The fact is Governments can’t make it rain. If we could we would. But it’s a dire situation. It will be solved through better water sharing access and we appreciate that. That is why the Federal Government has asked Robert Vertessy to chair an independent panel which will look at the fish kill, look at other provisions of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. He is going to report back to Government, back to the Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud, by 31 March, and we will take action on his recommendations. I know that there are other inquiries going on as well. The Government will take notice of those; we’ll see what we can do.

As Mark said, there are also some other things – some infrastructure things that we can and will look at such as the Pooncarie Road, such as some tourist initiatives that we’ve just heard from the Menindee Water Users Group and the Central Darling Council. The Federal Government has also placed on the table $1 million to Central Darling local government area. I know 40% of that money has been used for water cartage. It is important that we provide that money to these sorts of areas to help through this crisis – and it is a crisis, Mark. I acknowledge that. So we are doing everything we can. Mark as a good, responsible local Member has turned up today. We have in good faith listened to the passion; we’ve seen the determination; and we’ve also heard about the devastation this fish kill incident has caused.

QUESTION:

You’ve mentioned passion. Obviously there are a lot of local people very angry at that meeting today. How are you going to address their concerns from this point on? Have you made any more promises today?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

The Federal Government has put in place an independent panel chaired by Rob Vertessy, who is looking at the fish kill incident and looking at what else we can do as far as the Murray Darling Basin Plan is concerned. We’re obviously talking to the NSW Government as well. We’re in lockstep with all the Governments. The Murray Darling Basin Plan is an ecological, environmental document. It is an environmental plan. What we’ve seen here is an environmental disaster as was told to us today. It’s not the first time it’s happened but certainly it has been the most devastating fish kill that locals have told us that they have ever seen.

The fact is the Darling River has dried up previously. It has dried up such that it’s been just billabongs along the way. We can’t make it rain and when it doesn’t rain in the catchment areas which flow into the Menindee Lakes for up to seven years – seven years of prolonged drought – that causes problems. As politicians we can’t solve that prolonged drought, but what we can do is put in place measures as far as water-sharing are concerned; measures making sure that the environment is looked after; as well as for our farmers. We need to make sure that we’ve got productive use of water as well as the environmental concerns addressed.

QUESTION:

Are these promises going to come before the election, or what’s happening there?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We are going to take immediate action on what we’ve heard today. As I’ve said previously, Rob Vertessy is chairing an independent inquiry. That reports back to David Littleproud and the Government by 31 March. I wouldn’t imagine the election is going to be before 31 March. So it will be before the election. We will act before the election. Elections aside, this is important - we’re the Government and we’re doing something about it.

QUESTION:

Do you accept the argument that regardless of the drought that if the river system had been managed in a better way or a different way then it would have been longer before we got to this point?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We’re all experts in hindsight. But it just hasn’t rained in some catchment areas for seven long years. Everybody will have a different opinion on what should or shouldn’t have been done. The Murray Darling Basin Authority with CEO Phillip Glyde is putting into place what the Water Act of 2007 asked him to do. The authority is an independent statutory body. It’s doing what the law has asked it to do. It’s been legislated, passed in a bipartisan way between all the States and the Commonwealth.

QUESTION:

So do you support then a federal royal commission into the Murray Darling Basin Plan?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We’ll see what recommendations come from Rob Vertessy’s inquiry. We will take on board those recommendations. If that is one of the recommendations then I think certainly the Government will examine it closely. But I don’t want to pre-empt anything that his investigations go into; I don’t want to pre-empt anything that that inquiry is going to say or do. We will hear back from him in good time. The 31st of March is not that far away. He needs the time to actually get out into the communities, to hear from the experts, to hear from stakeholder and to hear from communities. And he will do just that.

QUESTION:

In the context of an upcoming election, are you concerned about the perception the Government has mismanaged the river as well as its response to fish kills?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

If the Greens were in charge we wouldn’t have any productive water. We wouldn’t have any water being used for farming purposes. As Mark Coulton well knows as the Trade, Tourism and Investment Assistant Minister – he knows just how valuable our exports are. Agriculture is a $60 billion sector. We want to grow that sector and our farmers, they have to absolutely account for every single drop of water that they buy – that they buy. Now for the environment, there’s not such an accountability placed on the environment. But at the same time we need to make sure that rivers and lakes and wetlands and marshes are looked after as well.

The Murray Darling Basin Plan does just that. It is a bipartisan agreement.

QUESTION:

While you’re out in the region will you be visiting some of these towns that are running out of water; essentially they have none left?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

I hear from people in Walgett and Wilcannia and other parts as well. That’s why I’m so pleased I’ve got such a good local Member, Mark Coulton, who is getting out and about his region and reporting back. It’s a big nation and I’m also dealing with fires in Tasmania, also hearing about the devastation of the floods in Townsville and Julia Creek and McKinlay in Queensland. So as the Deputy Prime Minister and as Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, it’s a very big nation; I’m getting around it. I’ve also got a very large electorate of my own, Riverina - they have their own water issues at the moment. Again, I’m pleased that the Federal Government has been able to put down $1 million for 81 local government areas. That is making a difference.

QUESTION:

Just on that, will the Federal Government be looking at climate change action? If we are looking at devastating fire, flood and drought in Australia – looking into the next election, are there any policies you will come out with?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We are looking at climate, of course. Climate has been changing since the year dot. We are more than meeting our emissions targets. What we don’t want to do is de-industrialise Australia. What we don’t want to do is to stop farmers from their agricultural pursuits. What we don’t want to do is what the Greens would have us do, what Bill Shorten would have us do, and have 45% emissions targets which are unrealistic. What we don’t want to do is go down a path of renewables which is just not going to solve anything apart from de-industrialising Australia and making sure that we don’t do any manufacturing here, and push electricity bills into the unaffordable stage.

What we want to make sure of is we have a situation where people have jobs, where families can afford the power, and when we flick the switch we get the power and at an affordable rate. And that’s what we’re doing.

QUESTION:

Scott Buchholz: should he have gone into the Ministry given a complaint was known to the Government?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

The first I heard of the complaint was actually today. The fact is Scott Buchholz has apologised. That apology has been accepted. So as far as I’m concerned the situation has been resolved.

QUESTION:

Is he going to stay in the Ministry then? And will he face any disciplinary action?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

The fact is he has apologised. The apology has been accepted. The matter is now rested.

QUESTION:

Will The Nationals run a separate Senate ticket in NSW?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We will make that decision in the not-too-distant future. I am very pleased we have outstanding candidates as far as the NSW Senate is concerned. We have a ticket headed up by Perin Davey. If we choose to run a separate ticket, I’m very pleased that she has Sam Farraway, James Chaffey and Paul Cocking backing her up. If we choose to run on the Liberal ticket well we will do that and the people know that the Coalition will deliver for them. But it’s important that NSW has a Nationals Senator if not two representing them. Rural and regional NSW is a large large area and west of the Great Divide, they need a voice in the Upper House from NSW to take their concerns and to campaign and to fight hard for them; I’m very very pleased that Perin Davey is our Number One candidate on our Senate ticket. She is an outstanding business person; she understands family; she understands country; she understands just what it’s like to have to fight hard to make sure that we get our fair share west of the Great Divide. I urge and encourage anybody when they are filling out that ballot paper, whatever date the election might be, to put a ‘One’ beside her name and the National Party representatives – because rural and regional NSW needs National Party Senators fighting for them.

QUESTION:

You are talking about running on a separate ticket. Won’t that increase tensions with the Liberals? How can you Coalition in NSW?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

We want to maximise our chances to have Perin Davey and other Nationals in the Senate. We have previously been very well served by Fiona Nash, appreciating that she left after the Section 44 fallout, but she served our nation very very well. And Wacka Williams, John Williams from Inverell has done an outstanding job. The banking royal commission would not have occurred without his hard work and advocacy. He understands just what it needs to be a fighter for regional NSW, as does Perin Davey.

QUESTION:

You say you can’t make it rain. There’s nothing you can do for people in the river now. It’s raining rather a lot in Queensland where the tributaries of the Darling begin. Could you not at least put an embargo on the taking of water from those tributaries?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

It’s raining very heavily in Townsville. I’m not quite sure that water in Townsville can flow down as far as the catchment areas of the Murray Darling Basin. It’s a long way from where the Darling can benefit. The fact is it is very very devastating and fodder drops have started today for cattle. We live in a nation of extremes, we do. Tasmania is partly on fire at the moment. We have Townsville underwater and other parts of regional Queensland underwater. And of course this area is bone dry. So that’s the nation. It’s a nation of extremities, but we as a Government stand ready to always serve our communities to make sure that we help them through these troubling times.

MARK COULTON:

Can I just add to that in your question: About this time last year. Probably in March there was a cyclone that came across Queensland and just got into one of the rivers that feed in. It came down the Culgoa. That water was left untouched for productive use. Some environmental water that the Commonwealth owned that was in some of the northern NSW dams was added to it. And that flow got all the way to Menindee.

QUESTION:

…in the middle of last year?

MARK COULTON:

It got down here about May, from memory; the cyclone was about the middle of March. So if this low pressure in Queensland does come over into the catchment, that’s certainly a possibility because there is still some environmental water that’s being held there but it’s very difficult over such a long period of time to actually get it there without it soaking into the river banks. So your question is close to the money. I’m not aware that the heavy rain has actually crossed into the catchment yet.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:

Thanks.