Page 3071 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (8.16): The 2011 budget contains 10 per cent growth in funding for Emergency Services, and that is to be commended. We see additional resources for the Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade, which of course I welcome. I am relieved now that there is some action underway on the station relocation project. Members would remember that the government received the final report in August 2008, and here we are in June 2011. So we look forward to that.
The estimates report had six recommendations on this part of the budget. It is pleasing to see that the government has agreed to five of them and has noted one of them. Part of the recommendations look at the sheds, and I will leave that to members, but of course Tidbinbilla shed still remains a concern. It has been rolled over from 2010-11. It is scheduled for completion in November 2011. So it will be interesting to see if that timetable is met. Maybe the minister can give us an update when he closes.
As members would be aware, there have been some concerns about the new headquarters at Fairbairn for some time. I think what we will see, and I suspect we will continue to see, is concerns with this headquarters for some time into the future. The latest debacle really is that we now have some unions questioning the capacity of the new HQ. It was interesting, having asked the minister the question this afternoon as to why they have not been designed to accommodate growth or provide high quality radio communications, that there was a two-word answer: “They have.”
This is another one of Mr Corbell’s special infrastructure projects that is not on time, it is not on budget and it is not on scope. The original project had something like 3,400 square metres. Again, as is so typical with all of the projects that Mr Corbell touches, this one was reduced to 2,800 square metres and we have now got a number of the unions complaining about the facility and capacity into the future. One of the things that you need when you have an emergency, particularly if you have a big emergency like the 2003 fires, is extra space where we can bring in extra staff as required.
I also raised concerns this afternoon about the integrity of radio communications from the new HQ. I am told that probably for about 12 months they have been aware that there are problems with communications, particularly using the trunk radio network from the ground floor. I am surprised that the minister is not aware of this. Apparently, it is something to do with the metal in the windows. I am not sure what the exact problem is but perhaps the minister can enlighten us. I understand that consideration is being given to replacing the windows so that they can at least have some use of particularly the trunk radio network from the ground floor. Again, it is another capital works that has not come to fruition easily under this minister.
Indeed, with respect to the two new sheds for Rivers and Jerrabomberra, there has been much said about them, particularly about the Jerrabomberra shed and its ability to house trucks and allow people to actually get out of their units when they are inside. If members go to questions taken on notice, the answer from the minister is quite amusing in many ways. But that is what we are used to here from this minister.
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