SA election result yields new hope for farm policy outlook

After 16 years in power, Labor and Premier Jay Weatherill were replaced by Steve Marshall’s Liberals at the weekend’s election with minor parties like former federal Senator Nick Xenophon’s SA-BEST Party, Cory Bernardi’s conservatives and the Greens failing to meet pre-poll expectations.

After tackling SA Labor over the Basin Plan’s implementation and the former Water Minister Ian Hunter’s politicisation of issues like alleged water theft and the recent disallowance motion to adjust the northern Basin’s water savings target by 70 gigalitres, Assistant Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Anne Ruston expressed relief at the election result.

“We will see now everything settle down and we’ll get the politics out of the equation,” she said.

“But we’ve never deviated from the position of delivering the Murray Darling Basin Plan in full which was the commitment of the federal government.

“I’ve already spoken to Steven Marshall and his team and they’re commitment is the delivery of the plan in full.

“In a sense nothing changes but we’ll get the politics out of the argument.”

Senator Ruston said the consequences of the disallowance on the Northern Basin review, saw Basin states NSW and Victoria now taking a “stand-off position and waiting to see if we can get it back on track”.

“But if we can regroup, cool our jets and get on with it we can get the plan delivered,” she said.

“It was disappointing that we saw politics played with it in the lead up to the South Australian election but it’s over now and we’ve got a new government that’s equally committed to the delivery of the plan.

“I think we’ll see a calmer and more consistent response and approach to the delivery of the plan but not a great deal of change – we’ll just work as hard as we can do get it done.”

Senator Ruston said she understood the SA Liberals had said if the Labor government’s Royal Commission into the Basin Plan had started they’d follow through with it, if elected.

She said the federal coalition had told previous SA Labor government that they’d cooperate with it and would now remain cooperative with the Commission if it continues.

“But we have to ensure we treat these as two separate issues,” she said.

“We won’t deviate from our commitment to the delivery of the plan – in the meantime we’re happy to cooperate with whatever inquiries are going on.

“But we need to be really clear the Royal Commission has no impact whatsoever on our commitment to deliver the plan.

“The previous shadow minister for water and environment was David Speirs – I have no reason to believe otherwise then he’ll not be appointed as the new minister with responsibility for water and therefore Basin Plan’s implementation for South Australia.

“I understand those (ministry) announcements will be made Thursday but I have nothing to believe that won’t be the case, that David Speirs will be appointed.”

Senator Ruston said she was unaware what the new government’s intention was on the GM moratorium in SA but warned there needed to be a “sensible” approach.

“As ’ve said all along, nobody has ever convinced me that there’s any health risk with GM foods – but if there is some demonstrated price or market access premium of being GM-free that’s a completely different argument,” she said.

“However, nobody has convinced me that we are getting a better price for our product or better market access.

“It is important that we take a scientific and rational approach to be being GM free in SA.

“It can’t just be somebody’s emotional response to it – we need to do a proper scientific assessment and market based assessment and then make a decision.”

National Irrigators Council CEO Steve Whan said his group congratulated the new South Australian government and looked forward to working cooperatively with them to implement the Basin Plan.

“We would hope the new government will be aware of the very real negative impacts that rejecting the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Measures could have on South Australian irrigators and Riverland Communities and be willing to work to ensure the amendment is not disallowed by the Senate,” he said.

“The Basin Plan is currently on a knife edge.

“Obviously the new government in South Australia will be expected to stand up for the interests of its state, but irrigators would hope it is able to do so in a way which encourages a cooperative approach leading to a successful basin plan and not the destruction of the plan.

“It’s entirely up to the South Australian government if they want to spend their taxpayers’ money on a Royal Commission.

“Irrigators have nothing to hide so we are certainly not afraid of the scrutiny and at this stage NIC is planning to make a submission.”