Page 2824 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 29 June 2011
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assessments we have done in terms of the yield of these sites stack up, in terms of the amount of water that they will deliver, and the community benefit and environmental benefit stack up. These are good projects for our community, they are strongly supported by the community and the government will continue to work with the community to deliver them.
MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mrs Dunne.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, have you asked the ICRC to take into account the cost blow-outs when assessing the price to be charged for the water from this network? Given your record of cost blow-outs on projects under your watch, what have you done to satisfy yourself that there will be no further cost blow-outs for this as yet uncompleted project?
MR CORBELL: I will be looking at all these issues very closely. In relation to the water price, the ICRC will of course, consistent with their methodology, take account of the full costs of the project in determining the price that they believe should be set for the sale of water from them.
Women’s Legal Centre—accommodation
MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Attorney-General. Minister, your government has made it quite clear that it does not think the current accommodation for ACT government staff is acceptable and you have plans to build a new government office block at the cost of $432 million. However, the Women’s Legal Centre operates from grossly inadequate premises at Havelock House and now will be split between that location and North Lyneham. Even that additional space will not meet the centre’s needs. During the estimates hearings, minister, you said that “community legal centres are independent entities with their own boards that can make their own decisions”. Minister, how can your government give itself a bright, shiny new building at a cost of $432 million and expect a valued community organisation to continue to operate in inadequate and unacceptable premises, now in split locations?
MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Doszpot for the question. In relation to the second part of Mr Doszpot’s question, of course it is worth making the point that the additional location for the Women’s Legal Centre has been provided by the ACT government in response to their request for additional space. The ACT government provides a discounted rental to these organisations. The government has been very up front in engaging with these organisations and identifying opportunities for additional space. And we are providing direct assistance to allow for some reconfiguration of their existing space to make sure that it is more usable and more effective.
I know that there are some who would argue that the government should pay for, build and then supply a building that accommodates all of the community legal centres in the ACT. As far as I am aware, no other government in Australia does that. These are not public servants, so the relationship with the government office building is just illogical. These are not public servants; these are not the ACT government’s
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