Coalition unease as Nationals’ policies diverge
The Nationals have blindsided the Liberals by proposing major reforms to the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
The Nationals have blindsided the Liberals by proposing major reforms to the Murray Darling Basin Plan that would disadvantage the river system in South Australia in the party’s first major policy initiative since Barnaby Joyce returned as Deputy Prime Minister.
The split over the basin follows unrest within the Nationals over Scott Morrison’s plan to achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible and “preferably” by 2050, an issue which helped drive the removal of Michael McCormack as leader.
The minor Coalition party remained divided on Wednesday over whether to support a carbon neutral Australia by mid century subject to strict conditions for the agriculture and mining sectors as part of a potential compromise with the Liberals.
Queensland Nationals Matt Canavan and George Christensen are flatly opposed to embracing the target, while most other Nationals have said they would consider supporting the goal if there were a detailed plan to get there and extra financial support for the regions.
Mr Joyce said he would consult his party about a net-zero target, declaring the decision would be a “long way off”.
“You’ve got to remember we see it through different eyes. We see it through coal-workers jobs,” Mr Joyce said. “We see it as people working in power plants (and) their jobs. (We) make our money from exports and exports are emission intensive.”
The Nationals fresh push on water policy was signed-off by the party room on Monday under Mr Joyce’s leadership but the Liberals were not told of the decision.
The initiative also gained praise from NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro because the proposed changes effectively backed the Berejiklian government in its feud with South Australia over the basin plan.
“This is a huge win for these basin communities, who grow our food and fibre, who feed this nation, to give them certainty and confidence in their future,” Mr Barilaro told The Australian.
“I’m relieved the federal Nats have come to the table and I welcome better compliance across all states that aligns with the benchmark NSW has set.”
Launching a grenade into the Senate on Wednesday, the Nationals put forward sweeping amendments to rewrite the basin plan and “address basin communities’ concerns about (water) availability during the drought”.
The Nationals unsuccessfully attempted to tack their amendments on to separate legislation installing an inspector general of water compliance.
The changes would have blocked the return to SA of an extra 450GL of “up-water” (taken from irrigators upstream), while also ending water buybacks and green-lighting new water-saving infrastructure projects.
In addition, the Nationals proposed a clause that would have seen no extra water being taken off irrigators once the basin plan concluded in 2024.
Under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which came into effect in 2012, the federal government hopes to permanently return biodiversity to the river system by reclaiming 2750GL of water from irrigated agriculture.
SA Water Minister David Speirs blasted the amendments as a “stunt”, declaring he had personally called the federal Water Minister and Nationals MP Keith Pitt to express his disappointment.
Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, also from SA, accused the Nationals of not caring about her state while SA Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Nationals were trying to “steal water”.
Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie, who is expected to be promoted to cabinet by Mr Joyce, claimed the move was being considered weeks before Mr McCormack was deposed as leader.
Government Senate leader and Liberal senator for SA Simon Birmingham firmly rejected the Nationals’ proposal.
“We are proud as a government to have ensured that billions and billions, thousands of billions of litres of additional water entitlement have been secured to support environmental flows across the Murray-Darling Basin,” he said.
“The government stands resolute in its support for the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, as we have said, in full and on time.”
Mr Pitt also said he supported the government’s position, in a rebuff to his Senate colleagues.
The Nationals frontbench line-up is expected to be finalised in a reshuffle on Friday.
Party sources said deputy leader David Littleproud would remain as Agriculture Minister while the final cabinet position would either be retained by Mr Pitt or given to Calare MP Andrew Gee. Queensland senator Susan McDonald and Lynne MP David Gillespie are expected to be promoted to the outer ministry at the expense of Mark Coulton and Michelle Landry.
Nationals sources also told The Australian a compromise was likely on a net zero emissions target if enough concessions could be extracted, including carve-outs or compensation for farmers and miners.
With cabinet level discussions having focused on taking a policy on nuclear power to the election, Nationals MPs backed a lifting of the nuclear prohibition.
Mr Littleproud said on Wednesday that nuclear should be “part of the conversation”.
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