The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I rise today to speak on behalf of the Greens in support of this bill. Improved transparency is always an initiative that the Greens will support, especially around a resource as vital as water. Without water our way of life, particularly in our regional communities, cannot exist. Australian water should be used for the benefit of all of us.
Right now water ownership is effectively secret, but why are valuable water entitlements hidden from public scrutiny? It is a principle we are pleased to uphold and must uphold. As politicians we are expected to declare land, property, jobs and shares but not water. This is simply hidden wealth, hidden because it can be and because so far it has been allowed to be.
The Greens support the fact that water should be declared in our register of interests. This is the first step to transparency around water ownership, and will shine a light on the integrity of this place. As members of parliament we make decisions that ultimately impact on the supply and price of water: if we own water then the public has a right to know that.
At the heart of our democracy it is the voters' right to know, and I thank the Hon. Sarah Game for bringing this issue to the council and for encouraging a transparent democratic process. With that, I commend the bill.