Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) 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: OneSKY equipment rooms project in Melbourne and Brisbane.

As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence are planning to replace their existing air traffic control systems with the new civil military air traffic management system being delivered under the OneSKY program to provide a common air traffic control platform in both civilian and military controlled airspace. To achieve this outcome, Airservices is proposing to construct new equipment rooms in Melbourne and Brisbane to house the critical OneSKY computer and communications infrastructure in a Defence protected status building.

The proposed works will include facilities to ensure that two systems can be run in parallel during the transition phase while providing a clear separation between the existing operational air traffic management system and the new air traffic control system. The new civil military air traffic management system will require continual work to develop and test the system without disruption to existing operations and operational equipment. The proposed facilities will meet stringent reliability and security requirements in order to adequately support air traffic control in more than 11 per cent of the world's airspace, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth and constitutes a project that is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for undertaking a timely inquiry. Subject to parliamentary approval, the proposed works are scheduled to commence in late 2015, with a staged practical completion and commissioning between September 2016 and November 2016. 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 of existing leased premises for the Australian Taxation Office at 121-125 Henry Street, Penrith, New South Wales.

As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, the Australian Taxation Office proposes to undertake a fit-out of existing leased premises at 121-125 Henry Street, Penrith, New South Wales. The ATO has substantially reduced the amount of space it will retain in Penrith, in line with the agency's off-ramping strategy. The reduction in space equates to a saving of $38.9 million, excluding GST, over 10 years, representing an excellent outcome for the Commonwealth. The new fit-out will provide the ATO with considerable advantages in terms of building design, operating efficiencies and long-term viability through improvements in building infrastructure.

The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth and constitutes a project that is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for once again undertaking a timely inquiry. Subject to approval of the project by the parliament, the fit-out is expected to commence in late 2015, with staged practical completion scheduled from mid-2016. 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: REDFIN Phase 1B Infrastructure—Facilities required for the new fleet of Special Operations Vehicles.

As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, the Department of Defence is proposing to provide new and refurbished infrastructure at four locations across Australia for the acquisition of special operations vehicles and communication systems for the Australian Defence Force special forces. The project includes new and upgraded facilities and infrastructure essential for the operation of the special forces, which includes new working accommodation, maintenance hangars, storage and workshop facilities. ADF special forces are highly trained and specially equipped to conduct operations at short notice in a range of domestic and international environments. Special forces give the government a range of strategic options beyond those available through conventional forces.

The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth, and constitutes a project which is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for once again undertaking a timely inquiry. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, construction is expected to begin in early 2016 and be completed by late 2018. I commend this 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: Campbell Barracks Redevelopment Project, Swanbourne, Western Australia.

As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, the Department of Defence is proposing to construct new, modern, adaptive, purpose-built facilities and improve the infrastructure to support the requirements of the Special Air Service Regiment in Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Western Australia. Campbell Barracks functions as both an operational and training base, and comprises a number of specialised working, training and storage facilities. The barracks house a diverse and complex inventory of SASR equipment, including vehicles, weapons, communications equipment, watercraft and personnel equipment. Campbell Barracks is an operational mounting base and a command-and-control centre for global operations. It supports a highly trained and specially equipped force that must be able to prevent, deter or respond to a threat at short notice in a range of domestic and international environments. Campbell Barracks enables current operations, planning for impending operations and enables the development and application of classified and sensitive capabilities.

The redevelopment project will replace ageing and obsolete facilities by delivering functional, flexible purpose-built facilities and improved infrastructure at Campbell Barracks. These will include a new operations precinct, new and refurbished operational support squadron facilities and quartermaster store, a new entry precinct and a fibre transmission facility. The project will deliver upgraded facilities, services and infrastructure, and demolition of 34 obsolete facilities. The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth and constitutes a project that is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for yet again conducting a timely inquiry. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, construction is expected to begin in early 2016 and be completed by late 2018. 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 of existing leased premises for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal at 83 Clarence Street, Sydney, New South Wales.

As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal proposes to undertake a fit-out of its leased premises at 83 Clarence Street, Sydney, New South Wales, to accommodate the expanded Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which commenced on 1 July 2015 with the merger of the former Migration Review Tribunal, Refugee Review Tribunal and Social Security Appeals Tribunal with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The move to a single location for the AAT in Sydney will allow for the rationalisation of resources, particularly in the sharing of public facilities such as hearing and conference rooms across jurisdictions. The move to a single location will also allow the AAT to reduce its current overall property footprint in the Sydney central business district and deliver savings to government through a reduction in property operating expenses. The design of a new fit-out will allow the 'new' AAT to improve the service to clients by using new technologies to deliver services more efficiently and effectively, and by providing a single point of access for most Commonwealth merit reviews.

The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth and constitutes a project that is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for once again undertaking a timely inquiry. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, construction is expected to begin within the next few weeks with staged practical completion scheduled from early 2016. 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, the following proposed work be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for consideration and report: Delamere Air Weapons Range Redevelopment Project, Northern Territory.

The Department of Defence is proposing to construct new fit-for-purpose facilities to support the Royal Australian Air Force's primary training area for air-to-surface weapon deliveries at the Delamere Air Weapons Range, which is in the Northern Territory. The Delamere Air Weapons Range includes an airfield complex, an urban environment and a fuel storage complex. The range also includes a high-explosive impact area, a practice bombing impact zone, a practice rocketry impact zone and air-to-surface gunnery lanes.

The project will deliver new working and living accommodation and vehicle maintenance areas, a new alternative high-explosive impact area, upgraded roads, improved boundary fencing and general airfield remediation. The project will also conduct demolitions, civil works and landscaping. The project will support increased exercise activity and meet the desire from coalition partners for increased exercise access and greater operational fidelity. The project will also support the safe employment of the Air Force's weapons capabilities and the new Growler mobile threat training emitter systems.

The project cost is estimated at $74.4 million, excluding GST. This includes costs of construction, escalation allowances, professional service fees, design, information technology equipment and contingencies. This investment will bring economic benefits for the Northern Territory. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, construction is expected to begin in the first half of 2016 with completion expected by early- to mid-2018. I commend this motion to the House.

Question agreed to.