Senator Simon Birmingham says he is looking forward to helping achieve better outcomes for the Murray Darling Basin and stronger action on climate change, after his appointment as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary today.
“The Murray Darling remains one of, if not the, most important policy challenges facing South Australia and I have pursued issues surrounding the Basin and championed its health since my appointment to the Senate in May 2007,” Senator Birmingham said today.
“However, I also recognise the national significance of the Basin to environment, our economy and the thousands of people who rely it on.
“The Murray Darling, its tributaries and wetlands should stand alongside the Great Barrier Reef as one of our great environmental assets. Its sad plight is something we must fix.
“The system is also critical economically to both our domestic food security and the success of many export products.
“All are threatened by continuing Labor Government mismanagement, at Commonwealth and State levels, especially the failure to invest in infrastructure upgrades that would see real and significant water savings returned to environmental flows.
“Climate action is a major policy challenge for governments around the world, and I look forward to making a contribution in this area also.
“In particular, I look forward to exploring opportunities to engage the many emerging technologies, such as biochar and biosequestration through algae, that will help maximise Australia’s capability to respond to climate change in a positive manner rather than Labor’s punitive approach.
“I welcome my appointment to these roles and look forward to making a valuable contribution and helping develop policies enabling a Coalition Government to fix Labor’s mistakes in relation to the Murray Darling Basin and capitalise on positive opportunities to respond to climate change.”