Page 281 - Week 01 - Thursday, 27 February 2014

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(a) the Government’s proposed construction of light rail is likely to be the Territory Government’s largest ever capital works project;

(b) the Assembly and taxpayers should be regularly updated about the progress of the project; and

(c) Members of the Assembly should have more opportunities to ask the Minister and Capital Metro Agency officials about the project;

(2) refers to the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services for inquiry and report by the last sitting day of the 8th Parliament, the issue of light rail in the ACT, including:

(a) progress and process of awarding contracts;

(b) Government decisions made regarding the project;

(c) expenditure on light rail and associated works;

(d) future light rail expansion and operations;

(e) impact on the environment and other forms of transport; and

(f) any other relevant matter; and

(3) the inquiry’s public hearings should occur in March and August each year with witnesses to include representatives of Capital Metro, the Minister responsible for Capital Metro, and any other Minister and Agency requested by the Committee.

Today’s motion is not about the merits of light rail. This motion is about the need to ensure that there is appropriate scrutiny for the biggest infrastructure project in the territory government’s history. In other jurisdictions, there are capital works committees which inquire upon self-referral or automatic triggers, often related to the projected cost of a project. We have no such committee or mechanism here. As such, it is incumbent upon us as members of this place to use our discretion as to when inquiries are required. I believe one is required for light rail.

Today’s motion calls for two additional public hearings per year, bringing the total number of public hearings for capital metro to four. This should mean that public hearings would occur in March, June, August and in or around November. Of course, June’s hearing is part of estimates and November’s would be part of annual report hearings.

I am sure the minister will say that this is a burden and a distraction. I disagree. This is good governance. For instance, does the government think that preparing budgets, annual reports or fronting estimates is an unnecessary burden as well? The fact is that we do need good governance to ensure an appropriate expenditure of every one of the taxpayers’ dollars, but especially for something as significant as the $640 million capital works light rail project.

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