❓ Mr. Redman questions the Minister for Water about funding cuts to water-saving programs amidst a water deficiency, while the Minister defends the government's actions and criticizes the previous government's record on water management and federal funding allocation.
AnsweredQoN 79Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER-SAVING PROGRAMS —
FUNDING
79. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Water:
I
refer to the unprecedented water deficiency being experienced across the
Agricultural and Mining and Pastoral Regions under the minister's
watch. How can the minister justify cutting funding to successful and popular
water-saving programs when the government is now forecasting that it will fork
out $11 million in water carting costs by June this year?
FUNDING
79. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for Water:
I
refer to the unprecedented water deficiency being experienced across the
Agricultural and Mining and Pastoral Regions under the minister's
watch. How can the minister justify cutting funding to successful and popular
water-saving programs when the government is now forecasting that it will fork
out $11 million in water carting costs by June this year?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for the question. It gives me an opportunity to point out some
of the ludicrous things the member did while he was in government—remember?
When the member for Warren–Blackwood was Minister for Water, the Water
Corporation was writing to farmers threatening to bring the RSPCA on to them—remember
that? I will answer the member's question, but was he aware of that
when he was water minister?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, through the Chair, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : We have an
unprecedented seven water deficiency declarations now in place. That has
resulted in the state committing to cart water for livestock purposes for those
farms that are affected. The member said that it has happened on my watch. It
simply has not rained in those areas, member for Warren–Blackwood, so
to imply that that is somehow the government's fault is quite
ridiculous. In response to low rainfall in the southern wheatbelt and great
southern in particular, we have made sure that for the first time the Water
Corporation, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development all work together with local government to respond.
When I became minister, I could not believe the lack of coordination that existed when these events occurred. We have
spent $1.5 million in the last 18 months on 34 different community water
projects. That is bringing online underutilised assets or assets that had been
decommissioned so that those assets could provide additional water to farmers
in affected areas. That is $1.5 million on 34 different projects. In the whole
eight years of the previous government, it spent less than $1 million on those
sorts of projects in the wheatbelt. We have spent more in the last 18 months
than the previous government did in the whole eight years when the member and
his mates on the front bench were water ministers. We have gone to the
commonwealth and asked it for money to assist in Western Australia. The
commonwealth spent $15 billion on water projects, about two per cent of which
has come to WA. All the National Party water and drought ministers hand out
money hand over first to the Murray–Darling Basin, but very little
comes to Western Australia. I, and Hon Alannah MacTiernan as the Minister for
Agriculture and Food, have taken up that issue with the succession of National
Party ministers since we came to government.
What did members opposite do? They did absolutely nothing. As a result of the
issues we have raised, Minister
Littleproud made an announcement a couple of weeks ago that, I think, 35 local
governments would get $1 million each in drought funding. He did not
talk to us or to the Western Australian Local Government Association about the
criteria. As a result, not one of the rangelands local governments, which the
member for Warren–Blackwood has been complaining are in such dire
straits, got a cent. The Shire of Busselton got a million dollars. I love the
Shire of Busselton, but it is not currently synonymous with drought. Because
the federal government did not talk to the state government or to WALGA, it got
it wrong. Even the member for ''North West Claremont'' over there
was having a go —
The SPEAKER : Minister,
you will call the member by his proper title, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Sorry. I take it back. Even the member
for North West Central had a go at the National Party ministers nationally for
their mismanagement of that water funding in WA.
I find it remarkable that
the member for Warren–Blackwood would dare come into this place and
criticise what we have done in response to low rainfall in the wheatbelt
and the great southern when he did nothing when he was in government. Nationally, National Party ministers—drought,
water, agriculture—come and go. It is a complete fiasco , yet the
member for Warren–Blackwood complains to us, and I have not even
started on the issue of climate change.
thank the member for the question. It gives me an opportunity to point out some
of the ludicrous things the member did while he was in government—remember?
When the member for Warren–Blackwood was Minister for Water, the Water
Corporation was writing to farmers threatening to bring the RSPCA on to them—remember
that? I will answer the member's question, but was he aware of that
when he was water minister?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, through the Chair, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : We have an
unprecedented seven water deficiency declarations now in place. That has
resulted in the state committing to cart water for livestock purposes for those
farms that are affected. The member said that it has happened on my watch. It
simply has not rained in those areas, member for Warren–Blackwood, so
to imply that that is somehow the government's fault is quite
ridiculous. In response to low rainfall in the southern wheatbelt and great
southern in particular, we have made sure that for the first time the Water
Corporation, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development all work together with local government to respond.
When I became minister, I could not believe the lack of coordination that existed when these events occurred. We have
spent $1.5 million in the last 18 months on 34 different community water
projects. That is bringing online underutilised assets or assets that had been
decommissioned so that those assets could provide additional water to farmers
in affected areas. That is $1.5 million on 34 different projects. In the whole
eight years of the previous government, it spent less than $1 million on those
sorts of projects in the wheatbelt. We have spent more in the last 18 months
than the previous government did in the whole eight years when the member and
his mates on the front bench were water ministers. We have gone to the
commonwealth and asked it for money to assist in Western Australia. The
commonwealth spent $15 billion on water projects, about two per cent of which
has come to WA. All the National Party water and drought ministers hand out
money hand over first to the Murray–Darling Basin, but very little
comes to Western Australia. I, and Hon Alannah MacTiernan as the Minister for
Agriculture and Food, have taken up that issue with the succession of National
Party ministers since we came to government.
What did members opposite do? They did absolutely nothing. As a result of the
issues we have raised, Minister
Littleproud made an announcement a couple of weeks ago that, I think, 35 local
governments would get $1 million each in drought funding. He did not
talk to us or to the Western Australian Local Government Association about the
criteria. As a result, not one of the rangelands local governments, which the
member for Warren–Blackwood has been complaining are in such dire
straits, got a cent. The Shire of Busselton got a million dollars. I love the
Shire of Busselton, but it is not currently synonymous with drought. Because
the federal government did not talk to the state government or to WALGA, it got
it wrong. Even the member for ''North West Claremont'' over there
was having a go —
The SPEAKER : Minister,
you will call the member by his proper title, please.
Mr D.J. KELLY : Sorry. I take it back. Even the member
for North West Central had a go at the National Party ministers nationally for
their mismanagement of that water funding in WA.
I find it remarkable that
the member for Warren–Blackwood would dare come into this place and
criticise what we have done in response to low rainfall in the wheatbelt
and the great southern when he did nothing when he was in government. Nationally, National Party ministers—drought,
water, agriculture—come and go. It is a complete fiasco , yet the
member for Warren–Blackwood complains to us, and I have not even
started on the issue of climate change.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.