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5 September, 2018, Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley): — I want to restate comments that I made earlier publicly regarding seasonal conditions for our farming communities, and note I say 'communities', which is not just the farmers but the entire regional communities that rely on each other to survive.

Farmers are doing it tough throughout Australia, and areas around Victoria are part of this group.

I am delighted that our pressure on the commonwealth government to sell 20 gigalitres of environmental water was taken seriously as this is a significant step in bringing the price of water down to an affordable level.

The Victorian government can also play a role if they choose to. Instead trying to out-green the Greens because of the upcoming state election, I encourage the Victorian Minister for Water to act now. Waiting another couple of months or for a time that is politically advantageous will not help our farming communities.

I urge the minister to make some commonsense decisions that will help our regional communities at a time they need it most. It does not need to be at the expense of the environment. Coexistence is the way forward, and we can all be beneficiaries.