Page 535 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 14 March 2007
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Mr Stanhope: Not education? You are really worried about education!
MRS DUNNE: Obviously the Chief Minister is discomforted about the level of questioning on this.
Mr Stanhope: You’re really worried about education.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister!
MRS DUNNE: I would not waste my time asking questions here about education. Earlier this month, the Commissioner for Emergency Services and you, Minister, released the business plan for the ACT Emergency Services Agency for the period 2007-08 to 2009-10. The business plan reveals a substantial reduction in funding for capital works over the outyears. Minister, the ACT Rural Fire Service has estimated that it has an annual requirement of $1 million for the replacement of vehicles alone—simply to maintain the existing level of equipment. Minister, what impact will the reduction of the capital budget for the Emergency Services Agency have on the replacement of equipment operated by the Rural Fire Service?
MR CORBELL: As I have indicated in the answer to Mr Pratt’s question, the reduction in the capital works budget is because the headquarters will be complete by that time. The major component of capital works is for the relocation of the headquarters to Fairbairn—and the construction of those facilities and the upgrade of those buildings at Fairbairn.
I would have thought that blind Freddy would have understood that, when that money is spent, it is not going to be an ongoing cost; therefore the capital works budget will reduce. I would have thought that that would be pretty obvious to anyone looking at the big chunk of capital works that currently sits in the ESA budget, but clearly it is not obvious to Mr Pratt or to other members opposite.
That is why the capital works budget reduces—because the money has been spent on a new headquarters. Unless you are proposing to build another headquarters, another headquarters and another headquarters, the money is going to stop at some point. Maybe Mr Pratt wants a purpose-built headquarters here at the Assembly, for him in the prospect that he becomes minister—complete with radios, computers, TVs and so on.
In relation to Mrs Dunne’s question about the RFS fleet, the RFS fleet matters will be considered by the government through the normal budget process.
MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Mrs Dunne?
MRS DUNNE: Yes, Mr Speaker. Minister, given that the plan shows that in the outyears the capital works budget will be $1.6 million and taking into consideration that last year we budgeted $1.5 million to replace one item of equipment, the Bronto, how will you be able to make provision for the upgrade of facilities when you are clearly running down the capital works budget for the replacement of any sort of equipment?
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