Ms SHARKIE (Mayo): My question is the minister for water. The South Australian government has flagged a High Court challenge should the federal government not deliver the legislated 450 gigalitres of environmental water to South Australia by 2025. Minister, will the government deliver the 450 gigalitres, and, if so, please detail how?
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt): My question is to the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison-McCormack government is supporting the growth of Australia’s resources sector to create more jobs, including in my home state of Queensland? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?
Mr PITT (HinklerâMinister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia): It’s a great pleasure to follow the Leader of the Opposition. It’s an opportunity I’ve been looking for for the last two weeks, and I’ve got it now.
Mr PITT: First and foremost, can I welcome the member for Eden-Monaro to the parliament and congratulate her on her victory in the recent by-election.
It’s always a great pleasure to follow the Manager of Opposition Business, a very passionate individualâin seven years, I’m sure there’s one opportunity somewhere.
Ken O’Dowd MP: My question is to the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australiaâthe place to be! Will the minister outline to the House how the McCormack-Morrison government is committed to the resources sector and explain why programs like Exploring for the Future are so important to job creation and securing Australia’s economic recovery?
My understanding is that, if a private member doesn’t jump up, I can seek the call. In the last remaining minutes, can I call out the hapless Premier Palaszczuk in Queensland, who is knocking down the Paradise Dam, in the member for Flynn’s electorate, and who is taking jobs away from my local people in the future.
Thank you for the invitation to join you here today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific.
Mr PITT: First and foremost, can I welcome the member for Eden-Monaro to the parliament and congratulate her on her victory in the recent by-election.
It’s always a great pleasure to follow the Manager of Opposition Business, a very passionate individualâin seven years, I’m sure there’s one opportunity somewhere.
Mr PITT: To those opposite: the minister who spoke earlier has outlined a lot of these issues and what the government is doing to address them.
Ms BUTLER: My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Does the minister support the development of a domestic nuclear power industry fuelled by Australian resources and cooled by our scarce water reserves?
Mr PITT: I thank the honourable member for that question. As the honourable member knows, there is already a nuclear industry in Australia; it’s at Lucas Heights. We already have a nuclear reactor in Australia producing very important medical technologies for all Australians. As the member knowsâand those opposite should do their researchâI was a supplementary member of a committee; I couldn’t even vote on the report that was put forwardâ
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?
Mr Albanese: The question went to the domestic nuclear power industry.
The SPEAKER: I will just say to the minister that he’s entitled to a preamble, and he’s not yet 30 seconds in, but the time for that preamble’s rapidly coming to an end.
Mr PITT:As I was sayingâ
The SPEAKER: No, that’s a ruling. You can note it and act on it, I think is the most important thing.
Mr PITT: As I will. The opposition knows the government’s position. There is a moratorium on nuclear energy in this country. I was a member of a backbench committee which made recommendations. Those recommendations have gone to the shareholding minister, Minister Taylor, and the government will respond to them in due course.
