❓ The Minister for Agriculture and Forestry addresses the status of the Department of Agriculture's headquarters relocation to Murdoch University and the establishment of Agricultural Research Western Australia, outlining funding sources and ongoing negotiations.
AnsweredQoN 524Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
What is the current status of the proposed relocation and/or development of the Department of Agriculture’s main headquarters currently situated in Jarrah Road, in the South Perth area? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank Hon Bruce Donaldson for his question without notice. Not to confuse the matter, two issues are running concurrently: the first is the relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters, and the other is the negotiations on what was referred to as the combined research institute in agriculture, which is now renamed, as I announced on Friday last week, to Agricultural Research Western Australia, which combines the Department of Agriculture, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University. The decision I announced prior to the state election still stands: the Department of Agriculture headquarters will be re-established on a new site at Murdoch University. I am pleased that the member has not asked a question about institute funding, because I am not sure I could have answered that straight away. Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Bruce Donaldson for his question without notice. Not to confuse the matter, two issues are running concurrently: the first is the relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters, and the other is the negotiations on what was referred to as the combined research institute in agriculture, which is now renamed, as I announced on Friday last week, to Agricultural Research Western Australia, which combines the Department of Agriculture, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University. The decision I announced prior to the state election still stands: the Department of Agriculture headquarters will be re-established on a new site at Murdoch University. I am pleased that the member has not asked a question about institute funding, because I am not sure I could have answered that straight away. Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
I thank Hon Bruce Donaldson for his question without notice. Not to confuse the matter, two issues are running concurrently: the first is the relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters, and the other is the negotiations on what was referred to as the combined research institute in agriculture, which is now renamed, as I announced on Friday last week, to Agricultural Research Western Australia, which combines the Department of Agriculture, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University. The decision I announced prior to the state election still stands: the Department of Agriculture headquarters will be re-established on a new site at Murdoch University. I am pleased that the member has not asked a question about institute funding, because I am not sure I could have answered that straight away. Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Bruce Donaldson for his question without notice. Not to confuse the matter, two issues are running concurrently: the first is the relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters, and the other is the negotiations on what was referred to as the combined research institute in agriculture, which is now renamed, as I announced on Friday last week, to Agricultural Research Western Australia, which combines the Department of Agriculture, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University. The decision I announced prior to the state election still stands: the Department of Agriculture headquarters will be re-established on a new site at Murdoch University. I am pleased that the member has not asked a question about institute funding, because I am not sure I could have answered that straight away. Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
I thank Hon Bruce Donaldson for his question without notice. Not to confuse the matter, two issues are running concurrently: the first is the relocation of the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters, and the other is the negotiations on what was referred to as the combined research institute in agriculture, which is now renamed, as I announced on Friday last week, to Agricultural Research Western Australia, which combines the Department of Agriculture, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University. The decision I announced prior to the state election still stands: the Department of Agriculture headquarters will be re-established on a new site at Murdoch University. I am pleased that the member has not asked a question about institute funding, because I am not sure I could have answered that straight away. Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon Simon O’Brien : I have a question about the institute funding! Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE : The member has the next question, does he? The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
The PRESIDENT : If there is a next question. Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
Hon KIM CHANCE : The funding for the re-establishment of the headquarters draws from two sources. The first is the cash reserves already established in the Department of Agriculture’s capital account - about $26 million - that has been built over time through the sale of surplus department assets. There is a very significant asset, of course, in the land on which the Department of Agriculture currently stands. For members’ interest, it is an area of some 20 to 22 hectares of highly valued land. These sources will ultimately provide the cash needed, but issues are still to be negotiated with the partners. That is why I said I did not want to answer the question the member did not ask. That is for the future. If the member is not satisfied with the answer provided, I can arrange a more detailed briefing. I am pleased members are following the matter with such interest.
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