Legislative Council
The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Transport and Urban Planning, representing the Minister for Environment and Heritage, a question about water licences.
Leave granted. The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: In the Upper South-East on 13 January this year the Government applied a temporary moratorium of one year on the granting of water licences. At that time, the Government said that it would allow applications for special water licences and that applications would close on 31 March. Prior to the closure of those applications (in fact, at that stage many people still had not submitted their applications), the Government granted one water licence to a company by the name of Kangaringa. The Government has given approval for 200 hectares worth of water. The effect of this grant of a licence is to reduce the watertable by a very significant extent. As I understand it, this property has about 80 hectares under irrigation with a centre pivot, but since it is about to be planted with olives the demand for water will be far greater than was previously applied to crops by the centre pivot. Of course, even that centre pivot was applied only to 80 hectares. It does beg a significant question as to how, before applications had closed, one property which did not have pre-existing rights except for 80 hectares was granted a permit for 200 hectares. My questions to the Minister are: 1. Why was a special exemption apparently applied to this one property without existing rights when other people with existing rights had not even made their applications as yet and when there was no potential idea to know what the implications of such a grant would be? 2. Was the Minister personally aware of such a grant by the EPA? 3. Was the Minister in any way involved in the granting of that licence?The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW: I will refer the honourable member's question to the Minister and bring back a reply.
Read the Government's reply: 6 July 1999