Page 3879 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS GALLAGHER: Well, that is what it relates to, Mrs Dunne—dollars. The preliminary estimate for the capital works expenditure for 2009-10 is $580 million. This is almost double the 2008-09 outcome of $296 million, and this is a record achievement. This government has delivered double the previous record. The preliminary outcome represents the delivery of 74 per cent of the revised funds available for expenditure during 2009-10. This proportion of delivery exceeds the average delivery over the last three years of around 60 per cent—once again, a significant improvement on past performance.
These results do not come just by luck or chance. You cannot double the previous record just by accident. This government has worked hard to achieve it. The result reflects a range of refinements to our capital works program to improve delivery. These include enhancing our planning and delivery systems, introducing more through monitoring and reporting practices, enhancing project delivery resources, and a more flexible approach to capital works delivery being adopted by larger agencies. The necessary changes have also been made to legislation, regulation, systems, documentation and processes to support these enhancements, particularly in regard to the delivery of stimulus projects.
The capital works program is not just about spending money, though; it is about delivering projects which improve the infrastructure which we rely on to deliver a wide range of services to the community. Quality infrastructure development is also essential to support the territory’s growth, jobs and activity in the local economy and, through this support, ultimately the economic and social wellbeing of our community.
This is an unprecedented level of investment in the territory’s infrastructure, which will support the provision of high quality services to the ACT community for a long time into the future. The timing of this record investment could not be any better. It has been achieved at a time when the economy needed support. It has been delivered at a time when business needed confidence. Business would be confident that this government is serious about investing in the territory’s infrastructure following this result.
We have adopted a medium to longer term perspective in our infrastructure investment program. We believe this is necessary to shape essential community and social infrastructure as well as other core infrastructure, such as transport networks. These investments ensure the sustainability of services and the continued prosperity of the community into and beyond the next decade.
Some of the outcomes achieved in 2009-10 for the territory’s capital works program include the physical completion of 94 projects during the June quarter, bringing the end-of-year total to around 200 projects. Significant projects are the Belconnen Arts Centre; the inner south library at Kingston; the new horticulture facility at CIT Bruce campus; the Lakeside Leisure Centre refurbishment; Edison Park youth recreation facility; a new 16-bed intensive care, coronary care and high dependency unit at Calvary hospital; Canberra Hospital’s new walk-in centre; works at Glebe Park; a new south-side park and ride and bike and ride facility in Mawson; 15 new public art pieces; the upgrade of Tharwa Drive; Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video