Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present Report 5/2020:referral made in May 2020, and a corrigendum to Report 3/2020:referrals made November 2019 and February 2020.

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

by leave—Report 5 considers one proposal referred to the committee in May 2020. The proposal is the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's fit-out of new leased premises in Canberra. The department sought approval from the committee to proceed with relocating their head office operations to a new building fitted out to the department's new workplace objectives. In addition, the project aims to provide the department with a greater degree of flexibility to accommodate staff number fluctuations and reorganisation. The estimated cost of this project is $78 million, excluding GST.

The committee was particularly interested in this project as it was the first office fit-out the committee was asked to consider during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many staff across government departments working from home, and with much reduced numbers in the office, the committee noted that the department had considered the changing needs of staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and was working towards a flexible design that could accommodate future changes to workplace practices. The committee therefore recommends that the House find it expedient that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's Canberra head office fit-out proceed.

I also take this opportunity, on behalf of the Public Works Committee, to thank the former member for Groom and chair of the Public Works Committee, Dr John McVeigh, who resigned from parliament last month. Dr McVeigh's efforts as chair have greatly assisted in ensuring that public money is being spent on public works in an efficient and effective manner. The public interest always came first for Dr McVeigh, and as his deputy chair I personally found him very good to work with. On behalf of the committee, I wish him and all his family all the best into the future. I commend the report to the House.