Page 946 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 17 June 1992
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within the first five months? I would have thought that there would have been a lag in expenditure, rather than payments up front for a very large part of it, and that therefore there would have been less than five months' worth of expenditure, rather than some 60 per cent of the total.
MS FOLLETT: We have, in fact, brought forward part of the capital works for this year. As Mr Kaine says, the Supply Bill contains about $92m of the total of $140m to $150m for capital works. I think the explanation for that is that we have brought forward some of those works and expect to advance them in the coming five months. Indeed, bringing forward those works is very much a part of our intention of ensuring that there is consistency of work in the construction industry. The action we took there will provide about 330 jobs. I am sure it is an action that would have the general support of this Assembly. Again, a note of explanation might have been useful.
Mirinjani Retirement Village
MS ELLIS: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. I recently attended the opening of the 20-bed nursing home extension at Mirinjani in Weston. Some comments were made during the ceremony which have been subsequently reported in the media. Could the Minister comment on the allegations published in yesterday's Chronicle that the building of a dementia unit at Mirinjani Retirement Village has been held up because of bureaucratic delay in providing a lease?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, Ms Ellis raised this matter with me and my colleagues. Indeed, we were at a meeting upstairs when she returned from that opening, and she immediately raised that issue. I went immediately to the department and asked them to look at the matter and explain the background to it. I am disappointed that the claim was published in newspapers. It was reported in the Valley View again today. Neither paper thought to ring me, or wanted to ring me - perhaps because it would have ruined a good story - to get a view or to see what the situation was.
I would have thought it was desirable for the newspaper to ask whether the claims made were factual. In fact, I do not think those claims stand up to scrutiny, as I will explain to you. But let me give some background first. Those members now in this Assembly who were here at the end of the last Assembly will recall that we cooperated to speed through a draft variation to allow this development to proceed. In the business, which was tight, a number of variations of importance went through, and this was perhaps the most important. We all expressed the view then that this matter had priority.
The draft variation was gazetted on 11 December last year. On 2 January - I think a reasonable timeframe, especially considering that time of year - the Planning Authority passed development conditions to the leasing branch. At about the same time a copy was sent to Mirinjani so that they could be aware of what was happening. Then - listen to this - at the request of Mirinjani, senior departmental officers held a meeting with them on 12 February to discuss those development conditions. The Mirinjani people were a little anxious about their ability to comply with the conditions - in a sense, I suppose draft conditions - that had
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