Mr BRIGGS (3:07 PM) —My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to the letter I am holding from the Alexandrina Council, which covers the Lower Lakes that are in my electorate, delivered to the Prime Minister yesterday and calling for the government to deliver an extra 60 billion litres of water to save the Lower Lakes.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! The member for Mayo has the call. I am listening to his question.

Mr BRIGGS —I also refer the Acting Prime Minister to the government’s decision giving the green light to the Victorian government to take an additional 75 billion litres of water from the Murray-Darling Basin for the north-south pipeline. Will the Acting Prime Minister now take decisive action to stop the pipeline and keep the 75 billion litres within the Murray-Darling Basin to help save the Lower Lakes?

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! The question has been asked. The Acting Prime Minister has the call.

Ms GILLARD (Acting Prime Minister) —In answer to the member for Mayo’s question can I say, firstly, when he was working assisting with drafting Work Choices legislation, which enabled the rip-off of workers at risk in the Australian economy and enabled them to lose their penalty rates and overtime without compensation—

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms GILLARD —It is a simple fact and, yes, it was offensive to all those at-risk workers—

Dr Stone —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Quite clearly it is on relevancy. The answer we are after is about the pipeline out of the lower Murray and the—

The SPEAKER —The Acting Prime Minister is aware of the need to be relevant. I will listen carefully now that the Acting Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Ms GILLARD —My simple point was that the former government was a government that acted in a series of areas but not in relation to this one in any effective way. Can I say to the member for Mayo that I have reasonable eyesight, assisted as I am, but clearly I cannot read across the chamber a letter he holds up. I am very happy, should he choose to have the letter brought round, to ensure that it is responded to and responded to promptly, but I cannot respond to it in detail having it held up as far away from me as that letter was.

What I can say to the member for Mayo is that the government understands that right across the Murray-Darling Basin irrigators and the environment are suffering as a result of very extended drought. These statistics are probably very familiar to the member for Mayo but, for members of the House, we have now had 38 consecutive months of below average monthly inflows into the River Murray. Over the last 10 years, inflows into five of the eight catchments in the southern Murray-Darling Basin have been around or worse than the CSIRO’s worst case projections for 2030. As we all know, water entitlements issued to the river under the Living Murray initiative—

Mr Hunt —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The question was about saving the Lower Lakes by stopping the pipeline.

The SPEAKER —The Acting Prime Minister will respond to the question.

Ms GILLARD —My point in going through these statistics is that water is short. There is nothing that covers that up. Water is short, and in these difficult situations—

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! The question has been asked.

Ms GILLARD —obviously governments are trying to manage the situation.

Through the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council, the Rudd government is supporting measures to protect the Lower Lakes from acidifying in the short term. Obviously, as the water levels get lower and lower, the question of the acidic content of the lakes becomes critical. South Australia is also developing longer term management options for the Lower Lakes, with funding support from the Rudd Labor government. The Australian government has agreed to provide South Australia with up to $200 million for long-term management of the Lower Lakes and the Coorong and up to $120 million for a pipeline network to service communities reliant on the Lower Lakes for fresh water supplies. These steps are being taken because we understand how difficult the situation is, how difficult it is for the residents of South Australia and how difficult it is for those who are reliant on the water in the river for irrigation and other purposes. We have taken these actions as a government because we understand these problems. I would compare that record in 12 months with the record of inaction over 12 long years.

Fran Bailey interjecting—

Ms GILLARD —The member for McEwen, who is gesticulating wildly now, might like to think about the opportunities lost over those 12 long years.

Mr Briggs —Mr Speaker, as requested, I seek to table the letter from the Alexandrina Council for the Acting Prime Minister.

Leave granted.