WONG: Thanks very much for coming. It's great to be here, back in South Australia announcing this centre for groundwater research.

We know that we have to improve our knowledge of groundwater management as part of a comprehensive strategy for water management. I'm very pleased that this Flinders University-led consortium has been awarded this funding and I look forward to their collaboration with their partner organisations including a range of other universities and look forward to their contribution to this very important issue

Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: You said that things have to change regarding the way we use groundwater but so many towns and irrigators rely on it. Do we have to wean them off?

WONG: No, I think what we need to do first is to understand, so we can manage better what happens when we take groundwater out. The key issue here is to make sure we manage water wisely and that we use it wisely. So we need to understand better how particular groundwater systems work, we need to know whether we need a different management strategy, and we need to improve particularly our knowledge about the interaction between groundwater and surface water availability. So it's about making sure that we have a better understanding of groundwater systems.

JOURNALIST: Why has it taken this long to look into it? Surely given that we're in a drought and we've had droughts before that we should have looked at...

WONG: That's probably a question you should ask Mr Turnbull as the previous Water Minister in the previous government

We have committed a very substantial amount of money to groundwater research and the National Water Commission has identified this as a priority area. The Government is taking action. We understand this isimportant.

JOURNALIST: Is it only a matter of time before some sort of restrictions have to be put in place in relation to the use of groundwater as they are for surface water

WONG: I think it is too early to judge what management regime is appropriate.

Obviously different areas in Australia may require different management regimes so I'm not going to speculate on that. I would note that the National Water Initiative does call for or does require states to look at groundwater management and what this centre will do is provide for better information for that to occur.

JOURNALIST: Why was it that Flinders University was chosen for this centre?

WONG: Well the decision is obviously not made by politicians; it's made by those who advise us and remember also that there are a range of universities and partner organisations involved.

We have to look at different ways of accessing water supplies. We have to look, not only at stormwater, at recycling, possibly desalination and we also have to use the water that we do get more wisely. I think what's important about this centre is it can give us a better understanding of groundwater resources and how best to manage them.

JOURNALIST: Are we seeing a big increase in the use of groundwater as a result of this current drought?

WONG: What we do know is that we've seen, over time in the Murray-Darling Basin, increasing use of groundwater resources. I think what is important is that we understand clearly what that will mean.

The CSIRO study that I referred to earlier does suggest increasing use of groundwater in a number of scenarios and it also suggests that that will have implications for surface water. So we need to better understand what use of groundwater means and we need to ensure that we put in place proper management regimes. That is a long term process - this centre will make an important contribution.

JOURNALIST: Water is becoming a very highly politicised issue and certainly Governor Generals aren't typically known in the past to be politically outspoken but last night the Governor General in the Middle East raised some issues to do with climate change and gave her opinionquite openly.

Are you ok with that? Do you view that as a help or a hindrance, our Governor-General making comments about Australia's stance on climate change?

WONG: My view is that many Australians are concerned about climate change and the Governor General, like all Australians, has a right to put her views

We, I think as a nation, care about climate change issues because we understand first-hand some of the effects of climate change. And that's why Australians are keen that the Government does take action on climate change and that is what we are proposing to do.

JOURNALIST: Senator, the Nationals are calling for the emissions trading scheme to be put on hold given the economic instability and the effect on the mining industry at the moment. What is your reaction to that?

WONG: Well, another day, another position from the Coalition when it comes to climate change.

And they variously either say that we don't need to act on climate change, such as Senator Minchin, or as Barnaby Joyce has said we shouldn't put in place any policies to take action on climate change. Well now I think you have told me that they are calling for a delay.

What we know is that climate change is here. What we know is that we have to take action. And what we know is that a decision to defer is simply a decision to increase costs, to handball things to our kids and our grandkids and ask them to pay higher costs. I don't think that is the economically responsible thing to do and I don't think that's what Australians want us to do.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that we will be able to avoid flooding the Lower Lakes with salt water? Are we any closer to securing a fresh water supply for the Lower Lakes?

WONG: The Lower Lakes are a symptom of the broader problems - real problems and serious problems that we are having with the Murray-Darling.

We are in what is called a 97 per cent year. That is, 97 per cent of years we have had more water.

We are also seeing, unfortunately, some of the effects that scientists said would occur. Which is that the ratio between how much rain you get and how much water you actually get in the river is actually worsening - that is in some of the preliminary studies.

Now what that means is that these problems are increasing and obviously there are problems throughout the Basin and there are real problems at the Lower Lakes and I know those communities are doing it very tough.

Unfortunately there is not an easy solution. This Government - the first Government in Australia's history, a national Government, to directly enter the water market. We will continue to purchase water but we are facing a very difficult situation in the Lower Lakes.

I understand the status at the moment is that the South Australian Government has put in an application that Minister Garrett has made some comments about and it will be a matter for him to determine under the relevant environment legislation.

JOURNALIST: Will the Government be expecting that the South Australian Government fast-track the Environmental Impact Statement that's expected? Will that be rushed?

WONG: No we want, as Minister Garrett has said, it would be the Commonwealth's expectation that there is a robust environmental assessment of the options.

We need to make the best decision. We need to ensure that the best decisions are made on the best available science and that the community understands what the options are.

ENDS.