Page 3885 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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within the ACT at the moment. We believe that level of roadworks is appropriate. It also needs to be remembered that, in the context of the global financial crisis, this government, in concert with the commonwealth government, took deliberate decisions in relation to what capacity did governments have working together and in partnership to deal with the threats that the global financial crisis presented to this community and, indeed, to the whole of Australia in relation to jobs, in relation to economic activity, in relation to confidence.
This government deliberately pursued a policy of supporting jobs, supporting the economy, supporting Canberra families through the capacity that we had to enhance capital works. You see the fruit of that on our roads to some extent. We have over this last two years had historically very high levels of investment in government infrastructure. It is very necessary investment. To some extent, it is overdue investment in some of our public infrastructure.
To suggest, as the question implies, that we are doing too much is an amazing suggestion. The suggestion is that we are doing too much, that we are disrupting the life of the city. I find it remarkable that the Liberal Party now all of a sudden are posing questions to the government: “You are doing too much work.”
Mr Coe: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. The questions were about whether he could confirm disruptions to Canberrans, but also I asked whether he is concerned about the increased workload on the ACT public service.
MR STANHOPE: I was getting to that. There is still plenty of time and I will answer it in full. But in the context of disruption, to suggest that there is so much work that it is disrupting the life of the city suggests that there is an implied criticism of the fact that we have delivered over half a billion dollars of capital works and we will do more in the current financial year.
Of course, any question from the Liberal Party in relation to infrastructure always has to have underpinning it the fact that this year—the Treasurer was too polite to say this, but I am not—the sum total of capital works delivered in this last financial year is greater than the total sum of capital works delivered by the Liberal Party in six years.
In the context of the capacity of our agencies to deliver, our agencies have actually illustrated quite conclusively that, in delivering 74 per cent of the capital spent this year, an historic investment of over $500 million in infrastructure in the ACT, they have handled it with aplomb. I have absolutely no concerns about their capacity to handle an even more enhanced capital works program in the year to come.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Coe?
MR COE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, are the relevant government agencies—whether it be Roads ACT, Procurement Solutions or others—charged with the responsibility of managing all day-to-day aspects of the territory works program sufficiently skilled and resourced?
MR STANHOPE: Yes, I believe they are sufficiently skilled and resourced. Indeed, you raise Roads ACT most particularly and Procurement Solutions. Roads ACT have
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