Fed: We thought we had a deal with Xenophon: Tanner

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2009
Fed: We thought we had a deal with Xenophon: Tanner

CANBERRA, Feb 13 AAP - The federal government thought it had a deal with Nick Xenophon
before the independent senator asked for billions of dollars more for the Murray-Darling
Basin, Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner says.

The Rudd government is in talks with the South Australian Independent senator in a
bid to overcome the parliamentary impasse holding up its $42 billion economic stimulus
package.

Senator Xenophon voted with the coalition on Thursday to scuttle an amended package,
hammered out in deal between the government and the Greens.

Mr Tanner said the government thought it had a deal with Senator Xenophon as well,
when it agreed to bring forward about $400 million in spending for the basin.

"At the last moment, he came back with this giant proposal - billions of dollars -
which we cannot conceivably agree to for a variety of reasons," he told Fairfax Radio
Network.

The government had gone back to Senator Xenophon to clarify his position.

"This package is not about solving every problem that Australia faces," Mr Tanner said.

The government already had in place "a very big spending plan" over a long period of
time for the Murray Darling.

The Senate is currently debating a new package of bills passed by the lower house late
on Thursday night.

AAP cb/rl/cdh

KEYWORD: STIMULUS TANNER

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