Damian Drum - The Nationals

I was born and raised in Congupna and I am a builder by trade. In 1981 I was drafted by Geelong and played 63 games during the next 10 years. I have been the Federal Member for Murray for the past three years and I was in state politics for 14 years before that. During the 2016 federal campaign, the biggest question put to all candidates was ‘‘if elected, how are you going to stop 450 Gl of ‘upwater’ leaving agriculture and being put back into the environmental flows?’’ On December 14, 2018, through Minister Littleproud and all of the basin states’ water ministers, we were able to have a socioeconomic neutrality test tied to the 450Gl that effectively safeguards that water from leaving agriculture in the same way it was previously being targeted. This is what every water expert was asking us to achieve during the 2016 campaign, and while it took us two-and-a-half years, we were able to achieve it. I have spoken to ‘Pause the Plan’ representatives, and my advice to them is to be careful what you wish for.