❓ A WA parliamentary question regarding cost blow-outs and delays in the New MetroRail project. The questioner accuses the minister of misleading the public and parliament, while the minister defends her actions by stating budget reviews are annual and that she had previously disclosed potential cost pressures.
AnsweredQoN 148Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NEW METRORAIL PROJECT - TIMETABLE AND BUDGET
I refer to the further blow-out of $50 million in the cost of the New MetroRail project announced by the minister today, which is in addition to the $45 million blow-out announced in April last year. (1) Will the minister now apologise to the public of Western Australia for twice attempting to mislead the public and Parliament about the cost and completion date of the project, namely - (a) in her response of 4 February 2005 to the then Leader of the Opposition shortly before the last election when she said that the New MetroRail project was on schedule to be completed by the end of 2006 and within its current budget of $1.518 billion, despite admitting in this house on 27 April last year that she knew about the blow-out probably a month or so before the election; and (b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed? (2) How does the minister expect the people of Western Australia to believe anything she says about the project? The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN
I refer to the further blow-out of $50 million in the cost of the New MetroRail project announced by the minister today, which is in addition to the $45 million blow-out announced in April last year. (1) Will the minister now apologise to the public of Western Australia for twice attempting to mislead the public and Parliament about the cost and completion date of the project, namely - (a) in her response of 4 February 2005 to the then Leader of the Opposition shortly before the last election when she said that the New MetroRail project was on schedule to be completed by the end of 2006 and within its current budget of $1.518 billion, despite admitting in this house on 27 April last year that she knew about the blow-out probably a month or so before the election; and (b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed? (2) How does the minister expect the people of Western Australia to believe anything she says about the project? The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(1) Will the minister now apologise to the public of Western Australia for twice attempting to mislead the public and Parliament about the cost and completion date of the project, namely - (a) in her response of 4 February 2005 to the then Leader of the Opposition shortly before the last election when she said that the New MetroRail project was on schedule to be completed by the end of 2006 and within its current budget of $1.518 billion, despite admitting in this house on 27 April last year that she knew about the blow-out probably a month or so before the election; and (b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed? (2) How does the minister expect the people of Western Australia to believe anything she says about the project? The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed?
The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(1) Will the minister now apologise to the public of Western Australia for twice attempting to mislead the public and Parliament about the cost and completion date of the project, namely - (a) in her response of 4 February 2005 to the then Leader of the Opposition shortly before the last election when she said that the New MetroRail project was on schedule to be completed by the end of 2006 and within its current budget of $1.518 billion, despite admitting in this house on 27 April last year that she knew about the blow-out probably a month or so before the election; and (b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed? (2) How does the minister expect the people of Western Australia to believe anything she says about the project? The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(b) in her answer to a question on notice from me published on 3 January this year in which she said that the current total expected cost of the New MetroRail project is $1 563.372 million and that the completion date would be April 2007, despite having met with the contractors during the previous month and having a clear indication that the cost was likely to be further increased and that the completion date would be delayed?
The SPEAKER : It is bad enough that ministers take forever to answer questions. However, a question that lasts as long as that and requires the minister to provide so much detail is just as unacceptable. I ask the minister to answer as best she can. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
(1)-(2) This is totally incorrect. I made it clear to the member for Darling Range in this Parliament on 27 April 2005, and again in this place on 31 August 2005, that we would review the budget annually. I said that we would look at the expenditure that had been accrued, make an assessment of the claims before us and consider the validity of those claims and what our expectation was for particular claims. When I provided the answer in January, we were still aiming for an expected completion date of April 2007. Further, we were still working within the budget of $1.5 billion. We do not review the budget on a daily basis. Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Mr J.H.D. Day : You said you knew about a month before the election. It is on page 788 of Hansard . Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I said that we knew that there were cost pressures. Of course there are cost pressures. We have an annual process whereby we go through the cost pressures. We look at the claims and decide what the future claims may be. We look at what delays there have been and the environmental costs and we make an annual adjustment. We are not in the business of revising the budget on a daily basis and we have no intention of doing that. Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Why did you mislead Parliament? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I did not mislead Parliament. I told the member on 27 April, and again in August, what our budget and timetable were. I said that they would remain such until such time as we reviewed it again. We have reviewed it. We believe that this is an extremely well-managed contract. As I said, six per cent over a space of two years in a time of record economic growth is quite exceptional.
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