O'Neill, Sen Deb

Senator O'NEILL (New South Wales) (20:19): I want to indicate to those who might be listening, and to those in the chamber, that we do listen to one another. I think the previous speaker, Senator Patrick, has made some important points. I bemoan the fact that vested interests with such power can influence politics in this country to the point where the MRRT—a scheme that tried to build exactly what the senator is talking about, and that is making sure the wealth of the nation benefits the nation—was taken down by vested interests. These vested interests spent millions and millions of dollars in the media in a concerted effort to dismantle a scheme that would have been for the benefit of all Australians, who would have benefited from Australia's sovereign wealth, our wealth beneath the soil and the sea. This is a very big problem for this country: short termism. It's big, powerful voices with a lot of money turning the media in the wrong way. I want to point something out to the senator, just before he goes—because I know he won't stay for the whole speech that I am about to make. It's one thing to say you support mining communities and for this government to talk about supporting business, but let me tell you that in Cobar, where I was recently—and I'm going to talk about my visit out west—there was a period of two weeks where there was no visiting medical officer for the hospital. There was a crisis of care and access for people. There is a big mine right near Cobar, the fragility of which should not be the case, but it is because this government isn't investing in the services that are needed for the town health services and education services. This country—regional Australia—is at risk in terms of access to basic health services. None of the colleges take responsibility for the distribution of a workforce. Australian taxpayers are paying to create a great Australian medical workforce for ourselves, but it is so poorly distributed, and that is a risk to mining across this country as well. So these things cannot be divorced from one another; mining, health care and education are all intimately and intricately entwined because they involve people. And this government's failures in service provision across this nation are an absolute disgrace and a threat to the wealth and benefit of this nation—apart from being a threat to the individuals who live in those communities without the services which I think they should be able to expect to get when they need them. I also know that all members here will know of the pain and suffering caused by the drought that has afflicted communities across vast swathes of my great state of New South Wales, and also the states of Victoria and Queensland. The Darling River and its tributaries have been driven into hydrological drought as millions of fish die and towns are forced to drink salt-laden water, 15 times saltier than the recommended amount. It's as Henry Lawson described in 'The Song of the Darling River': The skies are brass and the plains are bare, Death and ruin are everywhere— And all that is left of the last year's flood Is a sickly stream on the grey-black mud; This, however, is not a disaster caused solely by climate change, denied by too many of those on the government benches, and adverse weather conditions. This disaster is rooted in the failure of this Liberal-National government and the coalition government of my state of New South Wales to adequately balance the needs of the environment, First Nations people and country towns against the big irrigators who donate to the National Party. Australians spent $13 billion to fix a river system, the lifeblood of many regional communities and unique ecosystems. Instead, under the mismanagement of the state and federal Liberal-National coalition governments, this has flowed into the pumps of irrigators and left devastation in its wake. The river runs dry. People in Walgett, where I met with locals recently, are drinking water, as I said, at 15 times the salinity taste level that is recommended by the health department. And it's not just the lack of palatable drinking water that the drought is causing in the river. This failure of river management is also creating a vicious cycle that threatens the health of families along the river. Senator Patrick: But you've got to water the cotton! Senator O'NEILL: Well, we can talk about the cotton at another point in time, Senator. I know you're particularly interested in it. But let's talk about some of the people who are forced to drink this emergency water that is so high in sodium it's actually damaging the kidneys of the people who are forced to imbibe it. Failing kidney health means that people who have serious kidney problems need dialysis. This reality of having to use highly saline water is impacting the capacity for dialysis because that technology requires desalinated water to work. Is desalination available in these communities? People who are getting dialysis in their communities are now not able to access it, because of the drought. Last month I visited towns along the Darling River with the shadow minister for health, Mr Chris Bowen, to talk with residents about their health services. I have made the point about the staff shortages that exist in these communities. There are people who don't want to bring their families from the city out to the bush, out to the country, out to the regions of Australia because they fear that their children won't get a decent education under this government, which continues to say 'more funding for education', but failure after failure has been documented across the nation and internationally. In my first speech I said that the dirty laundry of this country in failing to invest properly in renewal and renovation of our education system is hanging on the line for all to see, and it's rotten under this government. It is so bad that people are rejecting taking their families to regional Australia because of the schools, which they do not believe can give their kids the advantages in their lives that they deserve. I found that in Broken Hill, Cobar, Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett even the most resilient rural communities were struggling under the pressure of drought, and they worry every day about whether they'll be able to provide clean water for their children and how they're going to water their stock or their crops. It was reported last month that the water crisis is so bad that, in Warren, the fire brigade will only turn their hoses on a fire if they have to save life. Instead, they declared that they would have to let houses burn and crumble if no-one was inside. If emergency services across this nation cannot draw water from the river to fill hydrants, that will ultimately close hospitals, which need the security of that water source to make sure that they're safe. This reality is confronting us now in Australia, happening on the watch of too many years of irresponsible, self-interested National Party government, with the Liberals, across this country. How can the Morrison government allow this to happen? I notice Senator McKenzie is here, and she's a good Australian—but standing here in the chamber and saying, 'I'm praying for rain' is not a plan. I endorse her prayers, but it's not a plan. Towns from Narromine to Cobar, Nyngan and Warren, even major regional centres like Dubbo, are forced to bore for salty water where they have never bored before, just to keep their community serviced with any water at all. What will the impact of that be on local businesses and jobs? Devastating. And it is on the watch of the Liberal-National government, who claim to be the friend of businesses, small businesses in particular. They are playing with the lives of Australians. They have no drought plan and are withdrawing funding for drought support programs. There's the talk and then there's the failure of delivery, and that is the story of this government. The country towns that I am talking about are paying daily for this government's failures in health costs and for the government's mismanagement of a river system, and the government refuses to adequately invest in reverse osmosis technology as well as to help meet the running costs for cash-strapped councils. Indeed, we live with the consequences of their cuts to the federal assistance grants across this country, which have damaged the financial health of local councils and forced them to put more pressure on local families by increasing rates. That is what the government are really doing to Australians in regional Australia. They've stuck with the Nats. They've stuck with them for too long and they're paying the price. The Nationals come here and, if I can quote former senator Doug Cameron, 'They're lions in the country, but they're mice in this place,' and if their voice is quiet in this chamber, it's even quieter in the meetings they undertake with the Liberal leaders of this country. The Macquarie Marshes, lush and verdant only three years ago, are bone dry. A haven for animals and birds has become a dust bowl. Archimedean solutions are now being employed along the river to save fish from another catastrophic kill. This government has failed. It continues to fail daily as it ignores the needs of the communities that it's supposed to serve. Water is life. The Nats should know that, but they've failed dismally, and the life of these communities who trusted them now hangs in the balance.