Page 1577 - Week 05 - Thursday, 11 May 2006
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more of an upgrade as we get defence headquarters out there. It is a road that many Canberrans use frequently, and I would like to see both the New South Wales government and the federal government putting some more money into making that a much better road, a much safer road.
Mr Pratt has given the Assembly a clear insight into the current and future standard of infrastructure in the ACT. We have heard how this government has ignored the warning signs and we have heard Mr Hargreaves’s response, which is that it is all someone else’s fault.
The point does not need to be made that infrastructure investment during a strong economic period is crucial. Let us be clear: there have been boom times all around this country over the last few years. Certainly the last 10 to 15 years have been a good time in Australia. There has been a lot of money coming into government coffers, and the people of the ACT expect their government to actually plan for the future. One of the ways to plan for the future is to invest in infrastructure. That is why this matter is so important. We seem to have squandered these good times. Mr Stanhope tells us constantly that hard times are ahead. Given that over these boom times not much has been done, it will be interesting to see if there is any significant investment in infrastructure over the coming years.
I welcome the emphasis on infrastructure spending in the federal budget. If I have one criticism of it, I would have liked to see more spending. I think that when there are such big surpluses, there is a responsibility to be putting that into infrastructure that the people of Australia can enjoy in the future.
In the 2005 Engineers Australia report card, which was referred to by previous speakers, addressed critical areas of infrastructure in the ACT. It graded their condition, performance and suitability for the near and long-term future. Mr Hargreaves has said that we got a B rating for our roads. Clearly we inherited the best roads in Australia in 1989. I do not think there is much doubt about that. In fact, the Grants Commission actually takes into account the fact that we are the national capital and we are expected to provide a high level of service in the territory.
It is all well and good for Mr Hargreaves to say that we have got great roads. I think all Canberrans would agree with that. But we have seen them deteriorate over the years. They are probably not quite as good as they were 10 or 15 years ago. Under this government we have seen a failure to provide for the future of our roads infrastructure. The GDE is the clearest example. Mr Hargreaves has sought to blame everyone else for the blow-out and the delay in the $100 million plus GDE.
In the end what the people of Gungahlin and Canberra have received in the GDE is a one-lane road. This project has turned into a debacle. I have no doubt that the people of Gungahlin will be very grateful when the GDE is built, but it is not the optimum outcome. The people of Gungahlin expected a dual-lane road. That has not been delivered, and that has been one of the big failures of this government. They can blame everyone else all they like, but they contributed to the delay and the blow-out in costs.
The Engineers Australia report card notes that currently the ACT government is addressing about three per cent of the road network on an annual basis. The report
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