Page 2779 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Mrs Jones: Point of order, Madam Speaker. He has not at all answered the question. The question is very simple. It is yes or no. I know you cannot direct him to say yes or no, but it is nonetheless a very simple question that he has not answered in any shape or form. Was he or was he not aware of the exclusion of the information?
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Jones, I think you have answered your own question on the point of order. Mr Steel, you now have 10 seconds.
MR STEEL: I will continue. Under Infrastructure Australia guidance, subsequently released in July 2021, where disruption and other externalities such as noise and neighbourhood disturbances are expected to be a significant factor these “could be considered”— (Time expired.)
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members! Now we have silence, you can ask your supplementary, Mr Parton.
MR PARTON: Minister, how could you, the Minister for Transport, possibly not know about a major exclusion from a cost-benefit analysis for the biggest transport project in our city’s history? If you did know, why did you deliberately exclude it?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. I will continue to give my answer, which is that this business case was developed based on best practice Infrastructure Australia guidance in relation to business cases where disruption and other externalities such as noise and neighbourhood disturbances are expected to be a significant factor—these “could be considered” for inclusion in a BCR calculation that might be provided in a business case and economic analysis therein. It is not expected that any such cost would have a bearing on the economic analysis in this case, and that is why they were not included. If the opposition actually wanted to hear the answer, they would have given me the time to do so. They could have got the answer in the first question.
MR HANSON: Minister, how much will the protracted disruption cost our community in business sector productivity and our wider economy, already devastated by the COVID crisis?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. We will be working very closely with the business community. We have already been engaging heavily through Major Projects Canberra, and the Disruption Taskforce has been looking at how we can minimise—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR STEEL: We are talking about disruptions that will face some businesses along the 1.7-kilometre route extension from the city to Commonwealth Park. We will be engaging with those businesses as we continue to undertake the work of the Disruption Taskforce on ways we can minimise that disruption so that they can continue to operate and trade during the period.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video