Page 3971 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Let us look at the real engineering and heritage advice. The Tharwa community was dudded on the original engineering advice—there is no question about that—even at the time that Minister Hargreaves was talking about the need for a concrete bridge. By the way, some Tharwa residents—and indeed some residents of the Condor valley—say, perhaps partly unkindly, that they believe he was building a monument to himself. Is this why Minister Hargreaves was blindsided? He could not analyse the engineering evidence, the logistical evidence, the history issues or the heritage value issues to make the right decision to restore the old bridge because he was blindsided by the need to build the memory to John Hargreaves: a single-lane concrete bridge—which, by the way, was going to devastate the western bank of the Murrumbidgee River and dreadfully impact on the amenity of the Tharwa community.
In this place we have seen that the minister has disrespected the Tharwa community and he has disrespected the experts who we talked about in this place. I refer to Mr Brian Pearson, an ex-DMR engineer who the minister went so far as to mock. We know that Labor ministers in this place have a history of mocking experts. Anybody who brings news to them which contradicts their position is mocked and disrespected; we have seen that again in this particular case.
Mr Seselja: Time and time again.
MR PRATT: Indeed. Let us look at the heritage community, the friends of Tharwa activities. I do not recall seeing the minister turning up to talk to the friends of Tharwa and the heritage communities, to get their feelings in more recent times as to the state of the bridge. The community has always had a deep affection for the bridge. That was never in question.
I now want to refer to the New South Wales RTA report, a contemporary report prepared by the Wagga office of the New South Wales RTA which indicates very clearly that the old Tharwa bridge can be restored for in the vicinity of $4.9 million. This report indicates—
Mr Seselja: How much?
MR PRATT: It is $4.9 million. This report indicates that after 11 weeks of work—11 weeks—the old Tharwa bridge can be reopened to light traffic load. And not only that: the next 46 weeks of work—it says that right here in this report—can occur whilst the bridge is able to service traffic.
This is the report that we asked about in the November sittings. We asked Minister Hargreaves if he had seen this report and whether his departmental officials had seen this report. The minister declared that they had not. I have it on very good authority that this contemporary New South Wales RTA engineer report dated September 2007 had been seen by departmental officials and had formed the background to discussions with other people, particularly by the Chief Minister in recent weeks when he met with the Heritage Council. I seek leave to table this report.
Leave granted.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .