Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Swan for this question, and can I say what an absolute delight it was to visit the member for Brisbane's electorate last Thursday. I am delighted to inform the chamber that the government is committed to realising the value of Commonwealth property through its property divestment program, and I know that the member for Swan is very interested in that. One of the things we found on coming to government was that the Commonwealth still owns a range of properties which reflect things we did in the past rather than what our current needs are or what our future needs are likely to be. That does not make any sense. The Lady Gowrie childcare centre is a classic example of that. The Lady Gowrie childcare centre was established by the Commonwealth in the 1940s. In fact, they are just about to celebrate their 75th birthday. They have served disadvantaged communities in inner Brisbane and they have facilitated research in early childhood development.

The Commonwealth is no longer in the business of running child care centres—it is not our core business!—but we understand the practical needs of families in inner Brisbane and elsewhere throughout Australia and the importance of child care. Despite that, we continued to own a child care centre in the form of the Lady Gowrie child care centre in Brisbane. The transfer of this property to the current operator, Gowrie Queensland Inc., is a great outcome for both the Commonwealth and the local community. This meets the government's objective of realising the value of an asset we no longer need, and it is good for the Gowrie centre as they now have certainty about their future on the site. Let me tell you that they were absolutely delighted when we did the handover of the title deeds last Thursday—and particularly delighted was the member for Brisbane, Teresa Gambaro.

As the minister and I announced in the 2014-15 budget, our property divestment program will better align the Commonwealth's property holdings with current and future needs, reduce the costs to taxpayers associated with ongoing Commonwealth property holdings such as the costs of building maintenance and also contribute to budget repair. As part of the announcement, we indicated that the program would start with around 40 properties, including vacant blocks and facilities no longer in use. With the winding up of the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation at the end of 2014, we have expanded the program to include the sale of about 120 properties—residential and commercial—formerly owned by the corporation. I have been to Albury and Wodonga, which are just down the road from my electorate, and I have met with local councils to reassure them that, while the Commonwealth is a motivated seller, we are not interested in a fire sale which would disrupt the local market—and that is so important. As far as the Lady Gowrie centre is concerned, it is a win-win situation. It is certainly very pleasing for the childcare centre operators and a great result for the member for Brisbane, who is a passionate advocate for better childcare services.

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