Page 1424 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 26 September 1989
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determine the actual cost of relocating up to three transportables at Yarralumla Primary.
Another area was asbestos. In the program there are works of at least $4m for removal of asbestos. The decision on asbestos use was made by the Commonwealth but the cost of removal is budgeted as a Territory responsibility. It is our view that the Commonwealth must assist in these costs.
There are a number of items in the new works programs which are conditional on the sale of surplus schools. Some of these, such as the new gymnasium at Deakin High School, were considered by the committee to be of high priority. The committee had no objection to the use of funds received from the sale of surplus properties being allocated to the capital works program. It had serious reservations, however, that particular works should be tied to the sale of particular assets.
It was the committee's view that the receipts from the sale of assets should be directed to the works program as a whole and not tied to a particular program. It seems illogical that a particularly high priority work may not proceed because of this condition while lower priority works in other programs will remain unaffected. It was the committee's view that, if there is a shortfall in revenue, this should be applied across the works program rather than to a particular item.
The committee is gratified to note that the Government has accepted the committee's recommendation, at least in relation to the works at Deakin High School gymnasium and the Watson TAFE, and that those works will go ahead with no strings attached. The committee notes, however, that no general undertaking has been given by the Government in its budget speech today to attend to what the committee regards as an illogical, strings-attached program in this area.
An aspect of the committee's examination which has received the most media and Assembly attention is the provision of infrastructure for the privately developed suburb of Gordon. The committee notes that the amount received from the sale of the Gordon land amounted to $2.85m which, on the evidence of departmental officials, appeared to just cover the cost to the Government for the provision of infrastructure.
The Deputy Chief Minister in a press release stated that the road in question would service not only the suburb of Gordon but the whole of South Tuggeranong. Future land sales in Gordon, he advised, were expected to realise revenue in excess of the cost of the total works program. The Deputy Chief Minister, in an apparently light-hearted response on 23 August 1989, reported in Hansard at page 1240, stated that this road "will be the shortest route to Tharwa, even beyond Tharwa to Namadgi National Park, and the alternative route to Adaminaby and indeed to Melbourne". The Minister said that this road could be renamed "the Melbourne Road".
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