❓ A WA parliamentary question reveals tension regarding a potential cost blow-out in a Planning and Infrastructure project. The Minister acknowledges a budget increase but avoids directly answering when she became aware of the issue, focusing instead on the decision to increase contingencies.
AnsweredQoN 87Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I ask a supplementary question. When was the minister first made aware of this latest cost blow-out, and does the minister accept responsibility for the cost blow-out? The SPEAKER : Order! The members can ask only one supplementary - the first one. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
The SPEAKER : Order! The members can ask only one supplementary - the first one. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied : As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied : As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
The SPEAKER : Order! The members can ask only one supplementary - the first one. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied : As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied : As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
As I have explained, we are still within budget. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We acknowledge that we are increasing the budget. Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Mr J.H.D. Day : When did you first know about it? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is not a question of knowing about it. At some point we need to decide whether it is appropriate to increase the contingencies. That was a decision that we have made in the past week.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.