PM: It's good to be here with Mike Rann, Premier of South Australia and Penny Wong, South Australian Senator and Minister for Water and for Climate Change.
This is where we see climate change and the real challenges facing water and the river Murray come together. Climate change according to international scientists is causing long term, deep drought across southern Australia. And as a result of that what we have is stress, greater stress to our river systems and of course our greatest river system - the river Murray.
And if you want to see an example of stress from climate change and where it could go over time, look at what's behind us here in terms of the Murray Darling system.
Therefore the challenge for us not to bury our heads in the sand and pretend this problem will just go away. It's to act on it and to act on it both for the immediate term, the medium term and the long term.
In the immediate term for communities like this where you've got so many good farmers and local communities who are affected by this is to take practical action. That's what I've done in partnership with the Premier of South Australia in recent times (who is about to die!!!!) You ok (Coughing in background)
PREMIER RANN: I'm ok
PM: Ok. What I've done with the Premier of South Australia in recent times in agree with the Water Minister on a package of some $610 million worth of water projects. $120 million goes to a pipeline network around Lake Alexandrina and the other side going over towards Lake Albert.
And the whole challenge here is to assist these local agricultural communities and communities themselves deal with the immediate challenge. When you've got local farmers who invested so much in these pumping stations to deal with the challenges of keeping their winery's going, to keep their other agricultural projects going, our responsibility is to provide a helpful hand. And that's we've done in the immediate term. That's $120 million of a $600 million package.
Medium terms it's the management of this entire system. This massive Murray Darling System, from Queensland where I come from, through NSW, across Victoria and to here. And unless we manage this river system better in the long term, then what we do in terms of shorter term measures will not help.
Therefore we need to have a medium term strategy as well, which is why a couple of days ago we've agreed to establish by 1 January a single national authority, independent, the Murray Darling Basin authority. To set a basin wide plan, to set a basin wide cap and that is a responsible medium term course of action.
Then longer term action, and that's dealing with climate change. I can't make it rain, the Premier of South Australia cant make it rain. Therefore we've got to deal responsibly as a national community and as an international community to act on climate change. Otherwise your burying your head in the sand and we don't intend to do that.
And that is why the stark warnings contained in Professor Garnaut's report about the cost of inaction should focus our entire national debate on what we do on climate change.
The bottom line is this, if we fail to act on climate change we are condemning great river systems like the Murray Darling to an entirely perilous future and the resolve of our Government is to act.
It will be tough, it will be difficult, it will be expensive. But we intend to take on this challenge and to do our absolute best in responding to what I think is the great challenge of our generation.
Mike did you want to add?
PREMIER RANN: Just wanted to say how much, I came down here to the Lower Lakes with Dean Brown, Karlene Maywald and others and we met with local people. And they came up with a plan; it's a plan that really came from local people about the re-engineering of the Lower Lakes and the desperate need for a pipeline for totable water, for critical human needs. For fresh water rather than saline water for the Nehrung peninsula.
Also of course the pipeline that would come down near Tailem Bend bringing fresh water to basically save and secure the future of two critical wine districts and agricultural districts for our state Currency creek and Langhorne creek. So the plan that we're supporting with the re-engineering of the lower lakes came from the local people and I want to congratulate Dean Brown for his leadership and his advocacy on behalf of the people that he represented for many, many years.
So this is really about a partnership. The Prime Minister responded, Penny Wong and I have been working on this now for months. It's a terrific outcome from the COAG meeting and also of course about $190 million is being spent on the river land as well. But a reinvigoration of the area in terms of structural adjustment.
But no-one pretends there is a quick fix. There is no-one who believes that there is a quick fix. This is about basically making sure that we re-engineer the Lower Lakes, it also means about making long term decisions for the future. Basically making sure that the river is run as one river rather than what we've had for over 100 years which is a river that's been mismanaged by states that have taken their own interests against the interests of the river.
PM: And to just conclude on that, if anyone doubts that Australia must act on climate change. Have a long, long look at the future of the Murray Darling.
Over to you folks
JOURNALIST: Has it surprised you what you've seen today or is it worse than you expected?
PM: What has stunned me is the extent to which this shoreline has moved from there to there in the space of a year. And what we see from the data is that inflow into the Murray Darling system has been at historically record lows. That's is since the data began to be collected, in the last two years the lowest inflow across the system.
And secondly therefore we've got to act and that's why we have a practical course of action now for these communities. Medium term in terms of the better management of the system and longer term by acting on climate change.
JOURNALIST: What are you doing to get fresh water down to these Lakes in the short term and that seems to be a big agenda for many of the locals both here and particularly on Lake Albert where if walked as far as you had today you'd be up to your armpits in mud?
PM: The challenge right now is of course to assist with this pipeline in order to provide water from higher up in the Murray to these communities. And speaking to the local winegrowers, local grape growers they are positive about what our two Governments have done together, that's the first.
The second is what the Minister has been doing for the first time in the nation's history. In the 6 months or so that we've been in Government is to buy back water entitlements around the system. The Commonwealth Government for the first time in history is using money to buyback water entitlements and we've already spent $50 million on that and that has already brought back a number of licences. We will prosecute a vigorous campaign of buyback.
The other thing is why in the Council of Australian Governments the other day we allocated $3.7 billion worth of water projects to improve the efficiency of the irrigation system right along the Murray Darling system in all States to take further stress off the system upstream.
None of these represent the magic solution itself, we must be acting on all these fronts. In 6 months we've made more progress on this than our predecessors did in 12 years.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister any of that water that you're buying, will some of that find its way here for lower lakes to top it up.
PM: Well the buyback is really critical because it take overall stress off the system to some extent. But lets be realistic this is a massively stressed river system. I'm not going to pretend that its not.
I think it's far better for the nation's political leadership to say this is a massive national problem, it's been building for years and years and years. And action is necessary, cooperative action is necessary in order to make a difference.
So I've said before at those three levels, you can't say to the good farmers here don't worry until we fix climate change. Because frankly that's just not going to work for them.
That's why we're investing in a practical project now, an expensive project $120 million just for these communities to get water through. Medium term the basin plan and basin cap and a more aggressive approach to the purchasing of licences. Longer term acting responsibly nationally and globally on climate change.
That's our three phased strategy, it's the right way for the nation, it will be a tough debate, it will be an ugly debate. But its one in which we intend to engage because I think the nation expects it of us.
JOURNALIST: Inaudible
PM: The Coorong is severely stressed and this problem has been building for years and years and years. And we'll be working with our partners in the South Australian Government to do whatever we can on this front. I'm acutely conscious of its significance in intrinsic environmental terms. I understand that, but this problem has been building for years and I don't intend to lie to people to say that I can fix it by next week, next month, next year. But can I say we are now taking a series of actions which we believe will be significant on the longer term.
The alternative is to bury your head in the sand and we don't intend to do that.
JOURNALIST: People here are calling for natural disaster status or funding. Is that ever going to be considered on the table?
PM: Well there are standard national criteria which apply to that in terms of droughted areas across the country. And that very much lies with the professional authorities to make evaluations on each local government area effectively.
PREMIER RANN: We're talking to Tony Burke about a whole range of other issues. I mean there are different issues that apply, we're talking to the Federal Agriculture Minister. I went to Canberra to draw in a few of them the other day to meet with him.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Senator Nick Xenophon is planning to introduce a private members bill to force the NSW Government to release water that is stockpiled in Menindee lakes. Do you see any need for action to release at least some of that water to fix the environmental problems down here?
PM: As Prime Minister of the country I'm prepared to engage with each of the State Governments of the country to do what is in the overall interests for the river system. Not just push it to one side but to work with them to take action for the overall benefit of the system.
There are farmers right across this system, there are farmers in NSW, there are farmers in Queensland and in Victoria and farmers here. Each have legitimate interests, our job is to try and balance those interests but overall to save this river system. Otherwise we're not doing the right thing by the nation.
So what we have done in our first 6 months as I said before, represents a solid start. But you know something it is just the start, there is a whole lot more to be done.
Can I just say in terms of one other thing. One of the ladies gave this to me. I assume what she said to me is accurate, she says this is a turtle and what you see here is the consequence of the calcification of the turtle's outer case and of course the turtle doesn't survive.
I just been presented this by one of the locals, I assume that the case. If some biologist proves to me to the contrary later on - matter for the scientists. But here we see as well as what we saw on the shores edge with the fresh water mussels, also the impact on biodiversity of not acting on climate change.
JOURNALIST: But isn't that why the lakes need fresh water and what was in the COAG agreement that would enable to Federal Government to grab fresh water where it see's it needs it for environmental (inaudible)
PM: As I've just responded short term, medium term, long term and that's the best approach that we've got and in 6 months I would challenge those who preceded us to demonstrate any more robust course of action that they undertook in the previous 12 years.
But there is no single magic solution, we will be acting in partnership with the South Australian Government in their management of these challenges here locally. Supporting them where we can and engaging in all the other Governments.
JOURNALIST: Locals say you should have made the visit much earlier than today?
PM: Well you know something I've as a kid knocked around these. I actually have some sense of this part of the world. I've also had long discussions with the South Australian Premier about the challenges here and of course I have water Minister who last time I looked comes from the fair State of South Australia.
The key thing is practical action. As I said in 6 months what did this community ask for. A pipeline to help them here and to help them over there and what we've delivered in 6 months by that $120 million pipeline out of a total $600 million package for South Australia ain't bad. Just a start - ain't bad.
PREMIER RANN: Also as I pointed out the other day. People say well what difference did the COAG meeting make. Well it made $3 billion worth of difference and in this State hundreds of millions of dollars more than $600 million being spent. The re-engineering of the lower lakes which is what people when I came down here with Penny Wong were asking for and also of course a big, big package of support for the riverland.
And of course for years people are saying when are we going to have leaders that make decisions for the long term as well? Because we've had over a 100 years of mismanagement of the river Murray. Now the planning, now the basin cap will be administered by an independent authority not groups of politicians under the influences of vested interests which is what the environmentalists have been asking for, for decades.
PM: Just to conclude on that, one of the farmers just here mentioned to me before there's local vegetable farmer who has laid off 20 workers. That's because of the problems of actually getting accessible fresh water from this system.
If you want a classic local example of the costs to the economy and jobs of not acting long term on climate change, of not acting on the Murray Darling river system - that's it. But as that 20 jobs writ large across the nation. So, climate change requires action if we are to save long term great river systems like the Murray Darling.