Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Australian War Memorial Eastern Precinct Development and National Service Memorial, Canberra, ACT.

The Australian War Memorial is a unique national institution. In the last decade, the memorial precinct has been extensively transformed, including the development of the western precinct, sculpture garden, ANZAC Hall, the parade ground and the CEW Bean Building. The current proposal to develop the eastern precinct represents the next stage in a program of planned site development and will deliver a new formal memorial courtyard, much improved and safer coach and car parking, improved outdoor areas and toilet facilities and replacement of the existing cafe with an accessible facility more suited to the requirements and significance of the site.

The development is necessary to improve visitor safety, access and amenity in the eastern precinct and to bring the substandard eastern precinct up to the high standard of the remainder of the site. The new memorial courtyard also provides a site for the National Service Memorial. The estimated cost of the eastern precinct development, inclusive of escalation in costs, contingencies, GST and all professional fees and disbursements is $19.54 million. The cost of the National Service Memorial will be funded by the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia. In its report, the Public Works Committee has recommended that these works proceed. Subject to parliamentary approval, construction is expected to commence after Anzac Day 2009, with scheduled completion prior to Anzac Day 2010. On behalf of the government, I thank the committee for its support and I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.

I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Fit-out for the Australian Federal Police of the Edmund Barton Building, Barton, ACT.

The Australian Federal Police is the major instrument of Commonwealth law enforcement. Its role is to enforce Commonwealth criminal law and protect Commonwealth and national interests from crime in Australia and overseas. The AFP has established a strategy to integrate all of its headquarters functions in a single site within the Australian Capital Territory to achieve business efficiencies and optimise its security and risk management requirements. The AFP currently holds leases across 16 sites in the Australian Capital Territory to perform its national role in what are essentially commercial leases. This is not suitable for the AFP’s long-term operational requirements. The majority of the headquarters functions are located in six sites that will be relinquished as part of the collocation to the Edmund Barton Building. Under current planning, there are some other headquarter elements in the remaining building that will also collocate to the Edmund Barton Building.

The Edmund Barton Building consists of 40,000 square metres of office space, including public and support spaces, which is sufficient occupancy space for approximately 2,200 staff, and accommodates the AFP workforce complement of headquarters personnel. The Edmund Barton Building fully meets the AFP requirements. It will be fully refurbished to an A-grade building, with new engineering services to enable the environmental target to be achieved. The fit-out will include office space, core storage, a conference centre, forecourt cafe facility, basement storage and, subject to review by the AFP, childcare facilities. The proposed fit-out is estimated to cost $115 million plus GST. In its report, the Public Works Committee has recommended that these works proceed. Subject to parliamentary approval, construction will commence in April 2009 and be completed ready for occupancy progressively from late 2009. On behalf of the government, I thank the committee for its support and I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.

I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Australian SKA Pathfinder radio telescope in Geraldton-Greenough and Murchison Shire, WA.

The Australian government has provided funding to CSIRO for the design, construction and operation of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, or ASKAP, radiotelescope. ASKAP will be the fastest survey radiotelescope in the world. The ASKAP telescope will deliver world-leading performance in applications including cosmology, understanding transient phenomena in the universe and obtaining a deep understanding of the galaxy in which we live. It is proposed that ASKAP be constructed on the Murchison Radio-Astronomy Observatory in the midwest of Western Australia, a site identified internationally as the world’s best site for radioastronomy. The ASKAP telescope has confirmed Commonwealth funding of $111 million. In addition to the Commonwealth funding, the Western Australian government has allocated $4.08 million to support the radioastronomy projects in the midwest of Western Australia.

The Australian government, in collaboration with the government of Western Australia, has determined that CSIRO’s construction and operation of ASKAP is an essential component of Australia’s positioning to host the international Square Kilometre Array radiotelescope project. The SKA is a proposed $1.8 billion international project under development by scientists from 50 institutions across 19 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The SKA will be one of the largest scientific projects ever undertaken anywhere in the world. In 2005, in response to a call for proposals by the International SKA Steering Committee, Australia, Argentina, China and South Africa submitted proposals to host the SKA. In September 2006, Australia and South Africa were shortlisted as being acceptable sites. A final decision on the site of the full SKA is expected in 2011-12. Construction of the antennas and infrastructure for the ASKAP needs to commence in mid-2009 in order to meet project milestones to influence SKA technology and site selection decisions and to maintain Australia’s current world-leading position in radioastronomy. In its report, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works has recommended that these works proceed subject to the recommendations of the committee. The CSIRO accepts and will implement those recommendations. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for its support, and I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.

I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Puckapunyal redevelopment, Victoria.

The Department of Defence proposes the redevelopment of the Puckapunyal Army base in Victoria. The project will address shortcomings in existing training facilities and base support facilities within the Puckapunyal area. The new facilities to be provided include a new headquarters building, a multidenominational chapel, an expanded entry precinct, a 120-person lecture facility and a 40-person briefing room. In addition, a 2.2-kilometre extension to the existing safe driving training area will be constructed. The estimated out-turned cost of the proposal is $41.65 million plus GST. In its report, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works has recommended that these works proceed. Subject to parliamentary approval, construction will commence in mid-2009 and be completed in late 2010. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for its support, and I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.