Page 1464 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012
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Motion negatived.
Supplementary Capital Works Program 2001-02
Paper and statement by minister
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Gaming and Racing): I present the following paper:
2001-02 Supplementary Capital Works Program.
I seek leave to make a very short statement.
Leave granted.
MS BURCH: I table this in response to Mrs Dunne’s making claims that the government cannot deliver on a capital works project. I have seen a government cabinet submission from Gary Humphries, then Treasurer, for the 2001-02 capital works program. It tells us that, despite only having a meagre program of just over $100 million, the government could not deliver on its program. It said that there were underspends due to “delays with tender planning, design and consultation that would lead to a significant backlog in major projects”. Madam Deputy Speaker, the adviser to Mr Humphries at the time is in this chamber as we speak.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra), by leave: This is an abuse of the standing orders because Minister Burch cannot get her act together. She was not down here ready to debate this issue. She was not briefed on what the issues might have been. There was a flurry of staff in here afterwards with alternative words for her to come up with, but she did not have the opportunity to speak. She abused the standing orders significantly during Mr Hanson’s contribution to the debate.
This is another example to show that this minister cannot get it done, and she is sensitive to the fact that we are now most of the way through the financial year and she has not turned a sod on this childcare centre. The government are now worried that they will not be able to get it done, and the only thing Minister Burch can do is revert to ancient history. We are now 11 years down the track, and the only thing she can do is revert to ancient history. That is the only thing she has got. The record we should be talking about is this government’s record on the delivery of capital works and this—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Mrs Dunne. We have already had that debate.
MRS DUNNE: No. I have leave to make a statement in response to the minister’s statement. We have on the record the fact that this government committed to delivery in the term of this Assembly of two childcare centres—one north, one south—for the cost of $4 million, and so far they have appropriated the money for one childcare centre at the princely sum of $7.5 million, plus $463,000 a year ongoing for recurrent costs. That is the record we have to keep in mind.
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