Water

Water Amendment (Victorian Environmental Water Holder) Bill

Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- I should start by saying that this is a measure that the Greens support and welcome. We are glad to hear that other parties in the Parliament do too. I will spend a fair bit of my time talking about some improvements that I think deliver on the real promise of this measure.

It has been talked about ever since the government first promised it and of course since those concerned with environmental water first advocated for it.

WATER: BULK ENTITLEMENTS
Mr BARBER -- The Greens will be supporting this motion at this time.

However, we remain hopeful that the government is interested in having a further discussion about the particular ways that water will be treated through and after the completion of this project and its assessment to ensure that there is a genuine net gain for the environment.

 Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- My question is for the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. It relates to the temporary qualification of water rights for the Yarra River. When we debated a recent bill on temporary qualifications the minister gave advised us of a number of different qualifications that were in place, including those for the Yarra and Thomson rivers.

Heartland fears apathy if Labor is re-elected - The Age

WATER AMENDMENT (ENTITLEMENTS) BILL
Committee

Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- I am not proposing to add further to the debate, but I simply make the point for the record and for any government members who are interested that we are open to further discussions about how this particular clause of the bill could be improved to achieve the sorts of objectives that the Greens are interested in.

WATER AMENDMENT (ENTITLEMENTS) BILL
Second reading

Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- Like Ms Lovell I have my own particular critique of water management in this state. Initially, at least, this is a fairly simple bill making a number of administrative changes, but there is one particular clause of the bill that gives me some difficulty -- that is, clause 6 of the bill which relates to temporary qualifications of water.

Mathematicians go to water at Vic desal deal - Australian Financial Review

Water: desalination plant

 Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- My question is for the Treasurer, Mr Lenders, and it relates to the Victorian desalination plant, which is a project on which the Treasurer has answered questions in question time on many occasions and where the Treasurer has informed us of the benefits of the plant. My question relates to what was meant to be the benefit of the plant, which is the actual water itself.

Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) -- I move:

     That this house notes the decision by the Hon. Peter Garrett, federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, to declare the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project a controlled action under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Angelsea aquifer kicks off - The Age