Page 1571 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021
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the commonwealth, and it is best practice procurement methodology, particularly for expensive, large-scale infrastructure projects.
Beyond health, education and transport infrastructure, I want to highlight this morning how important public housing has been as an element of the territory’s infrastructure program and as an integral component of the government’s urban renewal program. The 2020-21 budget allocated $105 million over four years to further boost public housing infrastructure. Together with an investment of more than $500 million over six years through Housing ACT, the 10-year period 2015 to 2025 will see more than $1 billion invested in new public housing across the ACT—on a per capita basis, the largest investment in public housing of any state or territory in Australia.
The 2020-21 budget also funds a range of minor capital upgrades and, importantly, maintenance of existing infrastructure, including $277 million set aside over four years through the Better Infrastructure Fund. It is also timely to remind the Assembly that the government has established the capital works reserve, a fund that gives building and civil works companies confidence that they can keep workers on the job if projects are running ahead of schedule. It is an important budgeting tool to assist in the delivery of a rolling infrastructure program.
As I mentioned earlier, the commonwealth government has recognised that Canberra is a growing and critical regional hub in its own right, and one that hundreds of thousands of New South Wales residents rely on for their economic, education and health needs. This fact, combined with our strong track record of transport project delivery, means the commonwealth has shown an increasing willingness to partner with the territory government on a range of major infrastructure projects.
Light rail stage 2A is the first example that comes to mind, Madam Speaker. In light of the history associated with that project, the press conference with the Deputy Prime Minister, Senator Seselja, Minister Steel and me was one of those moments in political life when you realise that every good idea has its moment in the sun. While some can bitterly oppose, and lose three elections over such projects, eventually there comes a time when even the most stubborn, even the most bitterly opposed, have to concede defeat. That moment occurred in that press conference. I was delighted by the enthusiasm of the Deputy Prime Minister, who perhaps did not have as much emotional baggage invested in opposing light rail, in talking up the project and how important it would be for the next stage of Canberra’s development.
Our partnership with the commonwealth extends beyond light rail and also includes a number of important road infrastructure improvements, including those that are tied to land release and the ability to supply more housing to our growing city. This includes the duplications of William Hovell Drive and Gundaroo Drive, the Molonglo River bridge crossing, a project that we are now delivering in partnership with the commonwealth, and what has been discussed many times in this place—the upgrades to the Monaro Highway and Tuggeranong Parkway.
Commonwealth investment in the ACT, through these various national partnership agreements that were outlined in the commonwealth’s 2021-22 budget, totals $629 million over five years, from 2020-21. That is a welcome investment in
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