Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the following report of the committee: Report 2/2011: referrals made in November 2010.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

by leave—On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the second report of 2011, addressing referrals made in November 2010. This report deals with two public works, with a total estimated cost of $69.5 million. In both cases the committee has recommended the House of Representatives agree to the works proceeding. One work, for the Department of Defence, involves the construction of workshops, vehicle bays, hardstands, classrooms, warehouses and a gatehouse at various locations in Queensland and Victoria. The second work is a building fit-out for the Australian Taxation Office in Albury, New South Wales.

Let me first turn to the Land 121 project for the Department of Defence. This work will provide the department with new facilities to assist with the rollout of new vehicles for the Australian Defence Force. The facilities will provide for the reception, inspection, refitting, operator training and maintenance training associated with these new vehicles. The committee sought evidence from Defence about why they had chosen the particular sites in question and how the facilities would fit into the overall defence infrastructure. The committee is satisfied that the scope of works proposed by Defence will meet the needs of the project.

The committee was concerned to learn at its hearing that there has been a significant delay in the transfer of a piece of land from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to the Department of Defence necessary for the project to be completed. Due to Immigration’s uncertainty, Defence is unable to give a date by which the land transfer will be complete. The committee is not satisfied with this state of affairs. Whilst Defence has assured the committee that this will not delay the commencement of works, the committee is nonetheless uneasy that Defence was only informed of the latest development regarding this transfer on the date of the hearing. Agencies must ensure that they are aware of factors outside of their control, such as the decisions of other agencies, and that these factors do not cause surprise at the last moment.

The second work addressed in this report is the fit-out for the Australian Taxation Office in Albury. This is the third fit-out project for the ATO that the committee has considered in the past year. The committee is always interested in ensuring that the Commonwealth gets good value for money. The ATO gave evidence at the hearing that the project will save money over the long term due in part to more efficient building systems. The ATO is a major employer in Albury and the site in Albury is one of the ATO’s larger facilities. The committee was pleased to see that the project will create significant local employment during construction as well as ensuring the ATO can remain a significant employer in Albury.

I thank members and senators for their work in relation to these inquiries. I commend this report to the House.

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