Page 1901 - Week 05 - Thursday, 3 May 2012
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At the time Actew used the most up-to-date modelling of future weather predictions from several sources, including the CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Murray Darling Basin Authority. Since then, however, as we are all aware, there have been two successive years of record rainfall, including a one-in-100-year flood. Although these events have led to an increase in the total project cost for the dam, that could not have been reasonably predicted before the work to construct the dam began.
The enlarged Cotter Dam project provides the ACT with water security for generations to come. Therefore, the government remains committed to the completion of the enlarged Cotter Dam, which will enable Actew to make better use of our most reliable water catchment.
As stated previously by the government, the Murrumbidgee to Googong water transfer project and the Tantangara transfer project will diversify our water supply by providing water that is not dependent on rainfall in our catchments. Collectively, these three projects are necessary to overcome the long-term impacts of climate change and allow the community to cope with longer or extreme droughts without having to resort to stringent water restrictions.
Finally, the government notes the revised schedule and budget approved by the Actew board provides for pessimistic weather forecasts, and the government is confident the total revised project budget remains reasonable.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) by leave: I thank the minister for tabling this information and the news, already in the public domain, that the final cost of the dam will now be close to $405 million. I note the minister says on behalf of the government that the government remains confident that this final figure of $404.7 million is reasonable. I wonder whether the minister and the government will stake their reputations on that as a final cost. Those words have been used in the past as to how robust the previous costing of $363 million was.
The Canberra Liberals remain committed to the completion of this project as an essential part of maintaining the ACT’s water security. It has been our stated view since February 2004 that a project such as this and others were necessary to maintain our water security, and we do not resile from that. I have seen some commentary in the media that the ACT should cut its losses and get out of the dam. I do not agree with those sentiments. It would be foolish of us to withdraw from this project now.
The Canberra Liberals remain concerned about the increases in the cost of the dam and the lack of scrutiny and lack of oversight by the government, which likes to keep at arm’s length from this disastrous cost blow-out. The Canberra Liberals hold to the view that if the decision had been made sooner, we would not have been confronted with these outrageous cost blow-outs. The decision should have been made in 2004-05 to build this dam. If that had been the case, the dam would now have been completed and filled. It would have been completed at a time when adverse weather would not have impacted on the cost of the build. It would also have been completed before the time when there were large blow-outs in the costs of building materials. We have been told on a number of occasions by successive CEOs of Actew that there
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