Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present two reports.

In accordance with standing order 39(e) the report was made a parliamentary paper.

by leave—The reports are Report 1/2014, Proposed integrated fit-out of new leased premises for the Australian Taxation Office at the site known as Site 5 and 6, the Revitalised Central Dandenong Project, Dandenong and the 77th Annual Report (2013).

The first report addresses the proposed fit-out of new leased premises in Dandenong for the Australian Taxation Office at an estimated cost of $21.3 million. The second report is the committee's 77th annual report which outlines the committee's activities during the calendar year 2013.

I will speak first to the report that addresses office accommodation for the ATO in Dandenong. The key objective of the project is to provide office space that meets the ATO's needs, and also complies with Commonwealth energy efficiency rating standards and the workplace density ratio target of 14 square metres per occupied work point.

The lease on the ATO's current premises in Dandenong expires at the end of 2015. The current premises are ageing, and cannot be economically upgraded to meet the ATO's needs. The proposal is for ATO office accommodation to be located in newly built leased premises that are to be located in the centre of Dandenong, close to the ATO's current offices.

The new building will provide the ATO with 12,600 square metres of office space and will accommodate around 900 staff. The building has been designed to comply with Commonwealth energy rating standards, and meet density ratio targets. This proposal allows the ATO to update its office accommodation while retaining a presence in Dandenong. The location is close to public transport hubs, amenities and other government agencies. Furthermore, the ATO will continue to benefit from the availability of a skilled and experienced workforce already present in the area.

The committee is satisfied that the ATO has fully considered feasible options for the ongoing provision of office accommodation in Dandenong, and that the selected option is a practical solution that represents value for money for the Commonwealth. The committee recommends that the House of Representatives agree to the works proceeding.

I will now speak to the second report I am presenting today—that is, the committee's 77th annual report.

The year 2013 was a busy and eventful year for the committee. The committee reported on 14 works before dissolution of the parliament ahead of the September election. The combined cost of the approved works was $1.6 billion. In 2013, the committee also approved 35 medium works projects. These are projects with individual budgets of between $2 and $15 million. The combined cost of all medium works was $306.7 million.

The committee held 23 meetings during 2013, with hearings held in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. More information on works that have been referred to the committee, and on the committee's meetings are provided in the appendices to the report.

There are a few matters covered in the report that I would like to highlight. The committee takes very seriously its obligation to consider and report on each work as quickly as possible. In 2013, the average time from the referral of a work to tabling the report was around 12 weeks.

However, when warranted, the committee can expedite its consideration. The committee's handling of its inquiry into Defence's remediation of the multinational base at Tarin Kot is a case in point. The committee completed its inquiry and was able to report back to the parliament in only three weeks. The Tarin Kot inquiry also demonstrates the committee's capacity to handle inquiries into security sensitive projects.

During 2013 the committee received a number of post-implementation reports. These reports are provided by agencies on completion of projects that have been approved by the committee. The reports let the committee know whether projects have been completed on time and within budget. A summary of the information for each project is published on the committee's webpage. A list of post-implementation reports received in 2013 is in an appendix of the report.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention that 2013 was a significant year for the committee, marking 100 years since the federal public works committee was established. In 1913, when introducing the bill for a federal public works committee, the then Prime Minister, Mr Joseph Cook, commented on the need to have a mechanism to ensure more efficient spending of money on public works. In Mr Cook's words, the public works committee was to be the 'eyes and ears of the parliament'. Just as it always has in the past, today's committee continues to perform this function with diligence and integrity.

I thank the secretariat, in particular, for their diligence and their support of the work of the committee. I acknowledge and thank members of the public works committee, past and present, for their endeavours. I commend both reports to the House.