Page 295 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2008
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(c) the business case that was developed, including the engineering and financial advice, for consideration by the ACT Government regarding the viability of the restoration of the bridge at Tharwa;
(d) the environmental impact studies undertaken and any other advice received regarding the construction of a new bridge with respect to the river, the surrounding landscape and the Tharwa village;
(e) the social and financial impact on the Tharwa village and surrounding district;
(f) the consequences of not restoring an asset listed on the heritage register; and
(g) the social and financial impact on the residents of Tharwa and surrounding districts; and
(4) that the Committee report on this matter by the last sitting day of April 2008.
I rise to speak about the government’s debacle of its own making which has become the Tharwa bridge saga. The purpose of this motion is to note a range of matters which clearly indicate a serious mismanagement of the Tharwa river crossing issue and to seek an inquiry into the handling of the Tharwa bridge matter. I propose referring this matter, therefore, to the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment. Additionally, in this motion we will be calling on the government to apologise to the Tharwa community for having let them down so severely over a long period of time.
Let me start on this sad journey by noting a couple of points that go to the heart of this issue. We note, for example, that there has been a 31-month period from May 2005 when it was clear that the government had some intention to go ahead with another option rather than the concrete bridge. Secondly, we note that the Heritage Council recommended that the Tharwa bridge be restored and retained. We note the negative social and financial impact on the Tharwa community and district since the closure of the Tharwa bridge in September 2006. We note the minister’s failure to consult on all options and instead his determination at both community meetings in May 2005 and in October 2006 to replace the old bridge with a new concrete bridge.
Fifthly, we note the ACT government’s failure to identify and take note of the engineering and financial evidence that existed showing that the Tharwa bridge was not beyond economic repair and was capable of being restored, and relatively quickly. We note next the time and money wasted on the tender process and preliminary works for the proposed new concrete bridge at Tharwa and then the Chief Minister’s intervention as a result of community sentiment and the inaction by and incompetence of the minister for municipal services.
Next, we note that the decision to restore Tharwa bridge is welcome recognition of the importance of a valuable heritage icon of the ACT and, on the basis of that, the opposition calls on the ACT government to apologise to the Tharwa community for, firstly, the social and financial impact on the Tharwa village and surrounding district and, secondly, the extended time it took to resolve the issue. We also call on the government to apologise to the ACT community for placing a heritage icon at risk.
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