❓ Dr. Woollard requests the Minister formally ask the Auditor General to scrutinise the Perth to Mandurah rail project's cost estimates. The Minister declines, stating the Auditor General can act independently if necessary and criticising the request as wasteful and politically motivated.
AnsweredQoN 235Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the minister’s letter to the editor of the Western Australian Business News about the costings of the Perth to Mandurah rail project, which states - I have no difficulty with the Auditor General taking whatever steps he may believe are appropriate to examine those costings. (1) Will the minister formally write to the Auditor General and ask him to scrutinise the Government’s $1.4 billion cost estimates for the rail project? (2) If not, why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
(2) If not, why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
(1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
(2) If not, why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
(1)-(2) No. If the Auditor General has any reason to believe that something untoward has occurred in the administration of government he has the power to examine the records. The Government has spent millions of dollars undertaking the master planning, obtaining the cost estimates and generally preparing for this important project. It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Auditor General to spend another $4 million of taxpayers money to redo the Government’s work, simply because the member for Alfred Cove does not like the route the Government has chosen for the railway. The Government has acted in a responsible manner. It has prepared a master plan that contains far more costing details than the previous Government’s master plan. If the Auditor General believes there is a problem he is perfectly at liberty to act.
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