Senator PATRICK (South Australia) (17:30): I rise to speak on the matter of urgency today, which goes to concerns about the National Party ever doing much about water. Let's go back to the start of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, where sensible decisions were made to introduce an act to manage the Murray-Darling Basin and to do so in a manner that established what the sustainable level of take was by the best available science—the best available science. A 726-page document was produced by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority showing that the right number in terms of the amount of water we had to recover was somewhere between 3,900 gigalitres and 7,600 gigalitres. Of course there was debate about how much uncertainty we were going to allow in the recovery of water to make sure the river was healthy. Unfortunately, there was political interference from the Nationals. In fact, one of the people suggesting those numbers were wrong is the current Interim Inspector-General of Water Compliance, who is on record saying, 'No, it shouldn't be 7,600, it shouldn't be 3,900; it should go even lower. It shouldn't even be 2,750,' which is ultimately what the political number was. He wanted it to be 2,100. He's on record suggesting that it be 2,100 gigalitres. This is the inspector-general who is a former New South Wales deputy premier, a National Party member, appointed by a National Party minister in this government. What does that do for confidence in the plan? Of course, the Nationals are not concerned about lawfulness when it comes to the river. I'm a little bit surprised that Senator McKenzie—'Senator McKenzie SC'—hasn't stood up, having won lots of High Court challenges, and tried to contest what Bret Walker SC said in the royal commission! And that is that the plan is unlawful. It's unlawful because of the Nationals' interference in determining what the appropriate SDLs ought to be. Having got a plan, having got an unlawful plan, they still want to take more water from the river. The National Party says, 'Let's pray for rain.' It's not about that. We know what the rainfall is. We know the in-flows are reduced. The problem is you're taking too much water. Funnily enough, Senator McKenzie pretends to represent irrigators. I've been to the southern river— Senator McKenzie interjecting— Senator PATRICK: Well, you might live there, but what about the people who are there who can't take water as it goes past because there's no water coming down— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Askew ): Order, Senator Patrick! Senator PATRICK: the Darling River. That's why. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Patrick, please direct— Senator PATRICK: Because the Nationals have turned on— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Patrick, order! Senator McKenzie interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator McKenzie! Senator Patrick, could you please direct your comments through the chair. And interjections are disorderly. Senator PATRICK: So we have a situation where the National Party talk about rain, blaming it on rain. It's not about rain; it's about taking too much water. Some of them think that we're letting the water roll down to the Murray mouth and then letting it go out to sea. Let me read what Richard Beasley said in his recent book: 'Several people involved in agriculture in the other basin states and some of the politicians they support consider any water that flows out of the Murray River to be an exercise in irrigating the Southern Ocean. These people are idiots.' I think he got it right. Imagine a river that runs into the ocean—imagine that! Unfortunately the Nationals don't even understand that. They don't even understand that, in order to have water that is not saline and is useable in irrigation, you've got to have a healthy river system. But, no, they continue to take, take, take. And they continue to stand in the way of the execution of the plan, making silly water purchases that don't actually return anything to the environment and paying twice the tote odds. The National Party have corrupted the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. (Time expired)