Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's 6th report of 2015 related to referrals made in May and June 2015.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—As deputy chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's 6th report of 2015, which deals with two projects—one referred to the committee in May and the other in June. The first project is the proposal to build an international quality visitors centre adjacent to the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux in France. The Department of Veterans' Affairs will oversee the project, which is expected to cost $93.4 million.

The committee received a briefing on the project and held hearings in Canberra on 26 June. I had hoped the parliamentary secretary would let us go to inspect the site but that did not eventuate. Along with the National Memorial, the centre to be named after Sir John Monash will recognise and pay tribute to the 290,000 Australians who served on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918.

The centre is designed to offer visitors a unique experience. It will use state-of-the-art multimedia technology to provide visitors with an immersive experience that will be both evocative and educational. The works will comprise the interpretive centre itself, but will also include significant civil, horticultural and landscaping works to the site. Importantly, the centre will be built partially below ground level so that it does not visually compromise the iconic and poignant Lutyens designed memorial. In fact, some of the planned landscape features will complete Lutyens' original design for the site, particularly the wandering gardens. The opening of the centre is planned for April 2018 to coincide with the centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Visitor numbers in excess of 100,000 per year, both Australian and international, are expected.

The project is a significant undertaking for DVA. The delivery time frame is tight. For this reason the committee recommends that the DVA provide a status report at the mid-point so that the committee can assess how they are tracking in terms of expenditure and build schedule. Despite the significant cost being committed to this project—unfortunately, it will not be creating jobs here in Australia where they are needed—the committee is satisfied that this project has merit in terms of need, scope and cost and recommends that it proceed.

The other project I report on today concerns the Department of Defence stage 2 redevelopment of RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales. The works will upgrade and replace critical infrastructure to improve the functionality and capability of facilities at the base. The estimated cost of the project is $274 million. The base has grown significantly since its establishment in 1941. This prompted Defence to carry out improvement works in the 1990s, and the first stage of this redevelopment project was completed in 2004.

The second stage will include upgrades to engineering services, constructing new office accommodation, vehicle entry and parking facilities. It will also include demolition of some buildings that cannot be refurbished to meet current building standards and that have now reached the end of their useful life.

The committee received a briefing from Defence and conducted a site inspection at Williamtown on 22 July. At the subsequent hearings, Defence outlined how the redevelopment will consolidate various elements that are currently dispersed across the base in order to deliver significant efficiencies. Through the public consultation process and during the public hearing, concerns regarding road access and safety were raised. A representative of Port Stephens Council told the committee how this project provides an opportunity for the local council to work with Defence to provide safety upgrades and enhancements to the adjacent Medowie Road. This is a suggestion that the committee endorses and the committee has made a supporting recommendation. The committee is satisfied that this project has merit in terms of need, scope and cost and recommends that it proceed.

In concluding, and on behalf of the very efficient chair, Senator Dean Smith, I commend this report to the Senate.