Page 4220 - Week 11 - Thursday, 17 Sept 2009
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escalation of the project costs. This is not a failure of the system; rather it shows that the system works. As issues arise, they are examined and, where appropriate, revisions are made to project construction schedules, the scope of works to be delivered and project budgets. These are processes that all governments and businesses undertake.
It would not be prudent to cut corners and deliver substandard infrastructure to the community just to meet planned construction schedules and budgets. Or is this what those opposite would envisage for the Cotter Dam?
One would have expected that small programs such as those planned by the previous Liberal government would have a greater chance of delivery on time and on budget—if, of course, they had been done properly. The larger programs, such as those budgeted for by this government, inherently carry more risks, as do larger projects.
Yet in percentage terms, our underspends are not much different from those under the Liberal government. The Liberals planned for small programs and found it difficult to deliver even those. We planned for much bigger programs and delivered much bigger programs.
The size of the program matters, and herein lies the true benchmark for comparison of performance. This government’s achievements in the area of infrastructure delivery are unparalleled. As has been outlined in the Assembly several times in the last few years, we have a proven track record in delivery, record expenditure, record commitments. A comparison of our delivery of capital works to that of those opposite could not be starker.
Let us once again highlight the facts for members. Before we came to office in 2001, the average annual expenditure on capital works by the Liberal government between 1998-99 and 2000-01 was around $76 million. The average expenditure by the Stanhope government over the last three years was $265 million. That is more than three times as much as the Liberals.
In the 2008-09 financial year, we again improved on our previous expenditure record, with expenditure totalling $296 million, the largest infrastructure spend on record. To put this in perspective, this is over 3½ times more than those opposite achieved in their last year of government. While acknowledging that expenditure underspends were recorded last year, it is important to note that only a handful of large projects accounted for more than half this underspend—in fact, only 10 projects out of over 500 in the total program, to be exact.
Facts demonstrate our record on delivering capital works for the territory. This could not be achieved without the rigorous processes and improvements we have put in place during our time in government to ensure program delivery, including:
• enhanced engagement with industry through a range of regular meetings and forums to assist in the delivery of capital projects;
• reinvigoration of the call tender schedule and its publication on the Procurement Solutions website;
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