Question regarding a cost blowout on the Peel Deviation project, alleging negligent planning by the Minister. The Minister deflects blame, citing federal government delays and preliminary figures.

AnsweredQoN 561Legislative Assembly
Asked
22 September 2005
Portfolio
Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the recently announced blow-out of about $100 million in the cost of the Peel deviation. (1) Can the minister confirm that at least $35 million of that blow-out has come about as a result of her negligent failure to adequately plan for this project before committing to it, including $25 million for works that should have been included from the start, such as noise walls, asphalt surfaces, fauna and stock underpasses, landscaping and provision for vegetation; and $10 million for additional imported fill and drainage infrastructure? (2) If this is correct, how on earth can the minister expect the federal government to increase its contribution just to pay for the minister’s incompetence? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN

AnswerView source ↗

(1)-(2) I am sure that everyone here would be very interested to know that the Leader of the Opposition received the information he used in this question from the government. I am glad he reads the answers to his questions. The government has been very open about this. I have set out the history of this project before today. The government recognised back in 2001, when it first came to office, that this was a major project that would have to be done in a partnership between the federal and state governments. We were also aware that the project had not appeared on any of the shopping lists that the previous government had put forward to the commonwealth. Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
(1) Can the minister confirm that at least $35 million of that blow-out has come about as a result of her negligent failure to adequately plan for this project before committing to it, including $25 million for works that should have been included from the start, such as noise walls, asphalt surfaces, fauna and stock underpasses, landscaping and provision for vegetation; and $10 million for additional imported fill and drainage infrastructure? (2) If this is correct, how on earth can the minister expect the federal government to increase its contribution just to pay for the minister’s incompetence? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) I am sure that everyone here would be very interested to know that the Leader of the Opposition received the information he used in this question from the government. I am glad he reads the answers to his questions. The government has been very open about this. I have set out the history of this project before today. The government recognised back in 2001, when it first came to office, that this was a major project that would have to be done in a partnership between the federal and state governments. We were also aware that the project had not appeared on any of the shopping lists that the previous government had put forward to the commonwealth. Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
(2) If this is correct, how on earth can the minister expect the federal government to increase its contribution just to pay for the minister’s incompetence? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) I am sure that everyone here would be very interested to know that the Leader of the Opposition received the information he used in this question from the government. I am glad he reads the answers to his questions. The government has been very open about this. I have set out the history of this project before today. The government recognised back in 2001, when it first came to office, that this was a major project that would have to be done in a partnership between the federal and state governments. We were also aware that the project had not appeared on any of the shopping lists that the previous government had put forward to the commonwealth. Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) I am sure that everyone here would be very interested to know that the Leader of the Opposition received the information he used in this question from the government. I am glad he reads the answers to his questions. The government has been very open about this. I have set out the history of this project before today. The government recognised back in 2001, when it first came to office, that this was a major project that would have to be done in a partnership between the federal and state governments. We were also aware that the project had not appeared on any of the shopping lists that the previous government had put forward to the commonwealth. Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
(1)-(2) I am sure that everyone here would be very interested to know that the Leader of the Opposition received the information he used in this question from the government. I am glad he reads the answers to his questions. The government has been very open about this. I have set out the history of this project before today. The government recognised back in 2001, when it first came to office, that this was a major project that would have to be done in a partnership between the federal and state governments. We were also aware that the project had not appeared on any of the shopping lists that the previous government had put forward to the commonwealth. Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
Mr M.J. Birney interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : I am telling you the story, mate. The Leader of the Opposition needs a concentration span somewhat greater than that of a housefly to understand these things. Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
Mr R.F. Johnson : She called you mate! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : The member is obviously not familiar with the New South Wales ALP version of the word “mate”! This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.
This is a serious matter. In 2001 the government recognised that this was a major project requiring large amounts of funding, a lot of forward planning and a partnership between the state and federal governments. We approached the commonwealth and, as I have told the house before, year after year the message came back that it was not interested in even talking about it. At the beginning of 2004, the government placed $800 000 into the budget to begin more detailed planning. A couple of months into that project the commonwealth Department of Transport and Services got on the phone. With an election coming up the minister had told the department to get something for the Peel deviation. The department rang Main Roads and asked for a figure. The figure was required immediately to be put into the budget process. Main Roads provided a figure that was its projection at that time. It was made very clear that it was a preliminary figure, and would continue to be a preliminary figure until the planning work had been completed. If we had had a proper dialogue with the commonwealth, and the commonwealth had been prepared to act in a partnership, this would have been well and truly sorted out long ago. We believe that it is appropriate that the federal government contribute 50 per cent of the cost of this project. We are prepared to accept that this project be done in two stages, as the commonwealth has told us that it does not have any more money. If that is true, we are prepared to work with it, but we are not prepared to sell Western Australia down the line.

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