A key report has today highlighted just how far Murray-Darling Basin reform has gone off the rails under Labor, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. The COAG (Council of Australian Governments) Reform Council today released its Water Management Partnerships: Performance report for 2010 a report on the progress of the Commonwealth…
DetailsKIERAN GILBERT: Tony Abbott has all but confirmed that the Andrew Wilkie-led poker machine reforms being pursued by the Gillard Government will be gone of the Coalition wins the next election. Mr Abbott did this last night, addressing a clubs rally at the Campbelltown RSL in Sydney’s west. TONY ABBOTT: I do know that…
DetailsDI COVENY GARLAND: … now on the line, Liberal Senator for South Australia Simon Birmingham. Good morning, Simon. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Dianne, and good morning to your listeners. DI COVENY GARLAND: So, Simon, Tony Abbott says he will overturn the legislation if he becomes Prime Minister. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Yes, Dianne, look,…
DetailsThe Auditor-General has been asked to investigate the Gillard Government handing over $20 million of Murray-Darling Basin water efficiency money for a pipeline project in New South Wales that doesn’t even deliver any water savings. It follows revelations in this week’s Senate Estimates that federal funding for the pipeline between Orange and the…
DetailsLEON BYNER: We’ve started today talking about what’s happening across the border in terms of money being spent on water because one of the things that South Australia has been very good at is very efficient uses of water and that’s all been done generally at growers’ own expense but in Victoria, for example,…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia) (16:49) I join Senator Macdonald in seeking to have the Senate take note of the first of what are designed to be regular reports from the Joint Standing Committee on the NBN-a committee that, like Senator Macdonald, I am a member of. This committee was intended to be the primary body…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM: South Australia) (10:36): I thank all senators for their contribution to the debate on the National Broadband Network Financial Transparency Bill 2010 (No. 2). I even thank Senator Conroy for his contribution, no matter how misguided it was, no matter how wrong it was and no matter how misleading it was. I thank…
DetailsSimon BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (12:56): The Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2010 does feel a little like a back-to-the-future scenario. We debated a very similar bill in the previous parliament and the parliament before that debated the matter of voluntary student unionism and an end to the compulsion of student union…
DetailsSimon BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:38): I rise to support the arguments put so eloquently by my colleague Senator Fifield and by other colleagues-Senators Abetz, Cormann, Joyce and Nash-that the Senate should deny the government’s move that these carbon tax bills proceed without formalities and that the Senate should deny the government’s move that these bills…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:39): I rise to take note of this Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Clean Energy Future Legislation advisory report on the clean energy bills and the Steel Transformation Plan Bill 2011. I am pleased to speak after Senator Milne because after listening to her you would be forgiven for believing that…
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