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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Tuesday, 3 August 2004) . . Page.. 3325 ..

Schools—canteens

MR CORNWELL: My question is to the minister for education, youth and family services. During 2002-03 Totalcare, which I think in answer to an earlier question you referred to as a preferred provider, upgraded four canteens in ACT government primary schools. After the work was completed by the preferred provider, 80 defects were recorded, mostly regarding poor quality and manufacture of fittings, and potential OH&S breaches. This compares with one breach recorded by the previous contractor. Why were there so many defects recorded on the upgrade of these canteens? Why were these breaches not detected earlier during the site inspections?

MS GALLAGHER: That question is very technical. I do not have the detail on those four canteens but I am happy to undertake to get back to you with an answer to your question in full.

MR CORNWELL: I ask a supplementary question. The minister might also like to tell me, when she returns with the answer, how much it cost to fix the defects in the canteens and who paid that cost.

MS GALLAGHER: Yes. I am happy to provide that.

Procurement guidelines

MRS DUNNE: My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Training. I understand that an informal arrangement, without any contract, has existed for some time between the minister’s department and ACT Procurement Solutions to conduct maintenance on educational facilities. Eventually, in 2003 a memorandum of understanding was prepared to formalise that arrangement. Was a memorandum of understanding or a contract eventually developed between Procurement Solutions and her department? If so, when was that document signed? Why has the minister allowed agencies supposedly under her control to break the ACT government’s procurement guidelines?

MS GALLAGHER: Obviously opposition members know something and they believe that it will lead them somewhere.

Mrs Dunne: We know only what you know.

MS GALLAGHER: Before I answer the member’s question I would like to obtain a full briefing from my department. I will then return with answers to the questions that were asked by Mr Cornwell and Mrs Dunne, which are obviously linked.

MRS DUNNE: I ask a supplementary question. As the minister said she intends to obtain a full briefing, how much money has her department paid to ACT Procurement Solutions without a contract or a memorandum of understanding having been put in place? Why has her department failed to keep under control those procurement issues?

MS GALLAGHER: As I said earlier, I will obtain a briefing and get back to the member with an answer to her question.

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