Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Colbeck for the question. I am advised that Minister Garrett did, on 18 November, determine that the proposed water release from Lake Crescent would have clearly unacceptable impacts on two matters of national environmental significance: the Ramsar site and an endangered fish species that only occurs naturally in Lake Crescent and the connected Lake Sorell. Minister Garrett made this decision in the context of his duties under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which obviously require him to have regard to a range of matters and to make a decision as to whether, in this context, the impacts on matters of national environmental significance were acceptable or not. As I said, the decision was made and it was determined that there would be clearly unacceptable impacts on two matters of national environmental significance.

Can I say that the minister is aware of the hardship being suffered by farmers in the Clyde valley region, who, like many regional and rural communities, have been affected by the ongoing drought, and is aware that these lakes have been a traditional source of water for downstream users in the Clyde valley. However, it is the case that, following an extended period of dry conditions, water levels in both lakes are already below the critical levels defined in Tasmania’s water management plan. In the absence of substantial and sustained rainfall, they are expected to drop further due to evaporation, with potentially severe impacts on the ecosystems of those lakes. A further release of water from Lake Crescent in these circumstances would therefore exacerbate the risk of serious long-term impact on matters of national environmental significance. (Time expired)