Page 3930 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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Appropriation (Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Eradication) Bill 2014-2015
Mr Barr, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement, a Human Rights Act compatibility statement, and supplementary budget papers.
Title read by Clerk.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (10.09): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
Madam Speaker, the Appropriation (Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Eradication) Bill 2014-2015 provides for the appropriation of funds totalling $762.031 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year.
These funds provide for $337.777 million in net cost of outputs appropriation and $412.223 million in the capital injection appropriation to the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate for the cost of the loose-fill asbestos insulation eradication scheme and the Asbestos Response Taskforce. Further, $12.031 million in payments to the territory banking account for the payment of interest on the commonwealth’s $750 million loan in 2014-15 is provided for in this bill.
Supplementary budget papers detail the impact of the additional appropriations.
The loose-fill eradication scheme has been offered by the government to buy all homes in the ACT affected by loose-fill asbestos—Mr Fluffy—insulation.
Under the scheme, the ACT government will acquire, demolish and safely dispose of all affected homes, remediate affected blocks and then resell those blocks to defray the overall scheme costs.
The scheme also includes the emergency financial assistance, asbestos assessment and hazard reduction program undertaken by the Asbestos Response Taskforce since it was formed in July 2014, as well the relocation assistance grants payable as affected homes are vacated.
This bill ensures the transparency of government decision-making in relation to the allocation of financial resources and fulfils the government’s policy objectives in a timely fashion.
I commend the Appropriation (Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Eradication) Bill 2014-2015 to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Hanson) adjourned to the next sitting.
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