Page 4071 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 16 Sept 2009
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In conclusion, our paper picks up on an area of significant community concern and sets out proposals the ACT could adopt for a safer and more vibrant Canberra night-life. We have attempted to engage with the community and have retained an open process for people and organisations to make comment. In the paper I have listed my contact details and I have also placed the paper on the ACT Greens website.
Alcohol-related violence is an issue that has the potential to affect all people in the ACT, whether they are patrons, pedestrians, commuters, passers-through, licensed venue workers or owners. It is on that note that I encourage members to look at our proposals and to engage in this important and ongoing debate.
Water—security
Debate resumed.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (3.22): Madam Assistant Speaker, one enters this debate with far more fear and trepidation after question time, when we actually found out that Mr Corbell is in charge of the project. Mr Corbell is going to answer all the questions on this. Based on that long litany of delivery of capital works projects on time and on budget from Mr Corbell, the people of the ACT should be very scared.
First, we had the GDE. Do you remember that one—the election promise “on time, on budget”? How long did it take—two years late, 2½ years late, three years late? It went from $55 million. It is now at $120 million and it will be about $240 million by the time it finishes based on the current trend.
That is Mr Corbell’s record of delivery on time and on budget. Then, of course, we have the prison. It was going to be on time and on budget. But along the way we lost about 74 beds, we lost the gym and we lost the chapel. But it was on time and on budget, except that when it opened it did not work. It did not have an X-ray machine; so now we have got drugs and razor blades going into the prison. Of course, they are still resolving the problems but it was on time and on budget.
Now we have the ESA headquarters that, according to the Auditor-General, had started at about $11.6 million, currently is about $75.3 million and, according to her estimates, will come in at a much larger cost. That project started in 2003 and when are we going to have it? It will not be this fire season. It will be December 2010.
I think the people of the ACT will have a big question mark hanging over the delivery of probably one of the largest, if not the largest, capital works project ever in the ACT as to whether or not Mr Corbell is the man that should be running it. It is actually interesting. Despite his record on the delivery of capital works projects, they actually gave it to Mr Corbell because they did not want Ms Gallagher running it. It says a lot about what the Labor Party thinks about the Treasurer running a project of this nature. That is their decision. We will see who ends up running it.
It is interesting that the figure started at $145 million. We are told it will not go above the $363 million that is touted. We are told there are arrangements, there are
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