Page 4558 - Week 12 - Thursday, 15 October 2009

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about which documents are able to be made available to the public and which are for members’ use only in the initial stages. I thank the minister for his engagement in discussing with us our proposed amendment so that we could find a suitable way to express the amendment and acknowledge the obvious issues around commercial-in-confidence and other such matters.

That said, we would reserve the right for any of the documents to be tabled in the Assembly in the next sitting period if we believe that it would be in the public interest to do so. That is a discussion that will need to take place if that sort of issue arises. I understand that the release of many of these documents should be undertaken with some forethought and care. I hope that we have come close to a mechanism that will allow for that. As I say, I think we have moved quite carefully and thoughtfully down that path. Those comments made, I move the amendment to the original motion:

Omit all words after “That”, substitute:

“this Assembly:

(1) notes that the Assembly passed a motion on 16 September 2009 expressing its support for the construction of the Cotter Dam while also expressing concern at the increase in the cost of the project;

(2) acknowledges that on 17 September, the Minister tabled information from ACTEW in the Assembly in response to above-mentioned motion;

(3) notes that further detailed information would assist the Assembly and broader community in understanding the changes in costs for the project;

(4) restates the importance of the community having access to full information about the costs of the project to ensure there is informed public debate on the project;

(5) calls on the Government to provide to Members, by 22 October 2009, the following documents in relation to the Cotter Dam Expansion:

(a) the Target Out-turn Cost prepared by the Bulk Water Alliance;

(b) any other formal costing undertaken by ACTEW or the Bulk Water Alliance since 2005;

(c) any independent review of either the Target Out-turn Cost and any other formal costing undertaking by ACTEW or the Bulk Water Alliance;

(d) all geotechnical reports developed for the project; and

(e) the contract that has been signed by the Bulk Water Alliance and ACTEW to deliver the project;

(6) agrees that documents provided to Members under paragraph (5)(a), (b) and (e) of this motion shall not be further published or distributed without a further order of the Assembly; and


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