Page 4259 - Week 13 - Thursday, 19 November 2015
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DR BOURKE: Chief Minister, what would be the risk to the territory if the project did not go ahead?
MR BARR: According to the Business Council of Australia—
MADAM SPEAKER: Could I go back?
MR BARR: Can we stop the clock at this point?
MADAM SPEAKER: Yes, stop the clock. We will actually restart the clock because I want to ask Dr Bourke to rephrase the question so that it is in order and does not raise hypothetical matters. I will give you the opportunity to rephrase the question.
DR BOURKE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. What would be the risk to the territory economy if the capital metro project did not go ahead?
MADAM SPEAKER: I will allow it.
MR BARR: According to the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia:
If the light-rail contract was cancelled, the cost and risk of doing business in the Territory would rise.
All future ACT government infrastructure projects, all future ACT government procurement, would have a big cloud over them because of the position of those opposite, who are described by their own federal colleagues as “economic lunatics”.
Let us also look to the human cost of such a decision—the 3½ thousand jobs that would be lost in this community, the people who would be thrown out of work by a decision of those opposite. That is the human cost. There is a billion dollars of benefit to the territory economy that would be lost.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR BARR: The territory’s reputation would be significantly tarnished and our capacity to ever again attract significant investment or significant interest in ACT government projects would be placed at great risk. For those reasons, it is incredibly important that this territory not put its reputation at risk through such economically irresponsible actions.
The economic lunatics, the animal noise group, the people who decide that it is appropriate to make animal noises in this chamber—their level of contribution to public debate is to squawk like a chicken.
Opposition members interjecting—
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