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representatives vote 2012-11-28#3
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2014-01-30 16:22:35
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Title
Bills — Water Amendment (Water for the Environment Special Account) Bill 2012; Consideration in Detail- Water Amendment (Water for the Environment Special Account) Bill 2012 - Consideration in Detail - Opposition amendment
Description
<p class="speaker">Greg Hunt</p><p>by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) to (10) on sheet 2 and amendments (1) to (5) on sheet 1 together:</p><p class="italic">Sheet 2—</p>- The majority voted against an [http://www.openaustralia.org/debate/?id=2012-11-28.136.1 opposition amendment] moved by Liberal MP [http://publicwhip-test.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/mp.php?mpn=Greg_Hunt&mpc=Flinders&house=representatives Greg Hunt].
- According to MP Hunt, the amendments guarantee: "no general buybacks to achieve the 450 gigalitres; neutral or beneficial socioeconomic outcomes; a 1,500-gigalitre buyback cap; and adequate reporting".[1]
- Background to the bill
- The bill[2] was introduced to establish an Environment Special Account to fund projects that protect and restore environmental assets of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) and protect water dependent biodiversity of the MDB.[3] The projects will include those that increase the available environmental water in the MDB by 450 Gigalitres.
- References
- * [1] You can read MP Hunt's entire discussion of the amendment [http://www.openaustralia.org/debate/?id=2012-11-28.136.1 here].
- * [2] A copy of the bill, its explanatory memoranda and amendments are available [http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r4925 here].
- * [3] Read more about the bill in this [http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/billsdgs/2073890/upload_binary/2073890.pdf;fileType=application/pdf bills digest] (696 KB).
<p class="italic">(1) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (lines 1 and 2), omit paragraph 86AD(2)(b).</p><p class="italic">(2) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 9), omit "or (b)".</p><p class="italic">(3) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (after line 14), after subsection 86AD(3), insert:</p><p class="italic">(3A) To avoid doubt, subsection (2) does not permit amounts standing to the credit of the Water for the Environment Special Account to be debited for the purpose of purchasing water access rights in relation to Basin water resources.</p><p class="italic">(4) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 17), omit "or purchase".</p><p class="italic">(5) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 17), omit "or (b)".</p><p class="italic">(6) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 18), omit "or purchase".</p><p class="italic">(7) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 24), omit "or purchase".</p><p class="italic">(8) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 28) to page 7 (line 6), omit section 86AE.</p><p class="italic">(9) Schedule 1, item 2, page 8 (line 19) to page 9 (line 3), omit paragraph 86AI(2)(b), substitute:</p><p class="italic">(b) achievements against those objectives and priorities;</p><p class="italic">(10) Schedule 1, items 3 to 5, page 9 (line 28) to page 10 (line 9), omit the items.</p><p class="italic">Sheet 1—</p><p class="italic">(1) Schedule 1, item 2, page 3 (line 22), at the end of subsection 86AA(1), add "while achieving neutral or beneficial socio economic outcomes".</p><p class="italic">(2) Schedule 1, item 2, page 4 (line 7), at the end of subsection 86AA(2), add:</p><p class="italic">  ; (h) investing in water efficient infrastructure and other on farm works.</p><p class="italic">(3) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 2), at the end of paragraph 86AD(2)(b), add ", but only if such purchases achieve neutral or beneficial socio economic outcomes".</p><p class="italic">(4) Schedule 1, item 2, page 7 (after line 6), after section 86AE, insert:</p><p class="italic">86AEA Limit on purchase of water access rights</p><p class="italic">     The total amount of water access rights purchased by, or on behalf of, the Commonwealth since 2009, whether with amounts debited from the Water for the Environment Special Account or otherwise for the purposes of the Basin Plan, must not exceed 1500 gigalitres.</p><p class="italic">(5) Schedule 1, item 2, page 9 (after line 11), after paragraph 86AI(2)(c), insert:</p><p class="italic">  (ca)   for all water recovery for which an amount was debited from the Water for the Environment Special Account during the report year for the purposes of paragraph 86AD(2)(b)—how that recovery achieved a neutral or beneficial socio economic outcome;</p><p>For five years, Australia has had a choice between a once-in-a-century replumbing and a buyout of rural Australia. At the last minute, this government has finally agreed to the replumbing rather than the buyout. These amendments guarantee a replumbing rather than a buyout; no general buybacks to achieve the 450 gigalitres; neutral or beneficial socioeconomic outcomes; a 1,500-gigalitre buyback cap; and adequate reporting. If the government does not pass these amendments, our commitment is that we will do so in government. We expect the government to support them. We guarantee a once-in-a-century replumbing, not a buyout of rural Australia.</p> <p class="speaker">Tony Burke</p><p>We cannot support the amendments. If the states come forward with the proposals that the plan allows them to, then the buyback figure that is referred to would in fact be achieved. But, if the states chose to not come forward with projects, then the entire plan would be at risk. For that reason, we cannot support the amendments.</p> <p class="speaker">Anna Burke</p><p>The question is that the amendments be agreed to.</p>
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