David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present two reports of the committee as listed at item 12 on today’s Order of Business, and move:

That the Senate take note of the reports.

Question agreed to.

I seek leave to have the tabling statements incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The reports read as follows—

Tabling Statement

Public Works Committee: Seventy-Fourth Annual Report

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the Committee’s seventy-fourth Annual Report, concerning the Committee’s activities in the calendar year 2010.

This report is a requirement under section 16 of the Committee’s Act, and the Committee presents this summary of its proceedings shortly after the end of each year.

During 2010, the Committee conducted inquiries into nine works, with a combined cost of $491.5 million. Appendix A of the report lists all works and their individual costs. The Committee also considered fifty-one medium works projects – those with a budget of between two and fifteen million dollars – and the combined cost of these works was $416.8 million. Appendix B of the report lists these works. The Committee held 24 meetings throughout the year, in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Sydney, and these are all listed in Appendix C of the report.

Mr President there are a few matters I would like to highlight. The Committee is rightly proud of the efficiency with which it conducts inquiries. In 2010, the average time from the referral of a work to tabling the report was nine weeks. The Committee also introduced a new procedure manual, which is increasing the detail of the Committee’s scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure, with new referral requirements for agencies proposing works. These requirements seek information that has not previously been collated by agencies. Agencies have reported that the new requirements help improve their internal preparation, as well as providing the Committee with more useful detail for its scrutiny role.

The Committee reiterates the importance of all Commonwealth agencies fulfilling their obligations to the Parliament, including the requirement to bring medium works to the Committee before any contracts are let. The Committee continues to work hard to ensure that projects do not fall through the cracks.

Mr President, a number of works were exempted from Committee consideration in 2010, and the Committee considers this an unacceptable state of affairs. The exemption provisions in the Committee’s Act are for unforseen and truly urgent circumstances, not for remedying poor planning by agencies. As I noted before, the Committee has a speedy process, and the Committee expects all agencies, no matter how big or small, to be aware of their obligations to the Parliament under the Public Works Committee Act.

I would like to give special thanks to officers of the Special Claims and Land Policy Branch of the Department of Finance and Deregulation, who assist agencies in preparing their proposals for Committee consideration.

I thank Senators and Members for their work throughout 2010, and in particular thank the members of the Committee of the 42nd Parliament, and the Chair at the end of that Parliament, Senator the Hon Jan McLucas.

I commend the report to the Senate.

Tabling Statement

Public Works Committee: Report 2/2011

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the second report of 2011, addressing Referrals made in November 2010.

This report deals with two public works, with a total estimated cost $69.5 million. In both cases the Committee has recommended the House of Representatives agree to the works proceeding.

One work, for the Department of Defence, involves the construction of workshops, vehicle bays, hardstands, classrooms, warehouses and a gatehouse, at various locations in Queensland and Victoria. The second work is a building fitout for the Australian Taxation Office in Albury, NSW.

Mr President, let me first turn to the Land 121 project for the Department of Defence. This work would provide the Department with new facilities to assist with the rollout of new vehicles for the Australian Defence Force. The facilities would provide for the reception, inspection, refitting, operator training and maintenance training associated with these new vehicles.

The Committee sought evidence from Defence about why they had chosen the particular sites in question, and how the facilities would fit into the overall Defence infrastructure. The Committee is satisfied that the scope of works proposed by Defence will meet the needs of the project.

Mr President, the Committee was concerned to learn at its hearing that there has been a significant delay in the transfer of a piece of land from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to the Department of Defence, necessary for the project to be completed. Due to Immigration’s uncertainty, Defence is unable to give a date by which the land transfer will be complete, and the Committee is not satisfied with this state of affairs.

Whilst Defence has assured the Committee that this will not delay the commencement of works, the Committee is nonetheless uneasy that Defence was only informed of the latest development regarding this transfer on the day of the hearing. Agencies must ensure that they are aware of factors outside their control – such as the decisions of other agencies – and that these factors do not cause surprise at the last moment.

Mr President, the second work addressed in this report is a fitout for the Australian Taxation Office in Albury, the third fitout project for the ATO that the Committee has considered in the past year.

The Committee is always interested in ensuring that the Commonwealth gets good value for money. The ATO gave evidence at the hearing that the project will save money over the long term, due in part to more efficient building systems. The ATO is a major employer in Albury, and the site in Albury is one of the ATO’s larger facilities. The Committee was pleased to note that the project will create significant local employment during construction, as well as ensuring the ATO can remain a significant employer in Albury.

Mr President, I would like to thank Senators and Members for their work in relation to these inquiries. I commend the report to the Senate.