Page 433 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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On Thursday last week, Actew Corporation’s managing director, Mr Sullivan, along with the Treasurer and the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in its inquiry into the annual reports for 2008-09. During the hearing I asked Mr Sullivan a series of questions relating to evidence he provided to the Select Committee on Estimates 2009-10. Those hearings occurred on 18 May last. For the information of members who were not present, I propose to read from the proof transcript from last week’s hearing. I start:
I would like to look for a little while at the Murrumbidgee to Googong … transfer. Mr Sullivan, did the decision paper dated 6 May to the Actew Corporation board state that the TOC—
that is, the target out-turn cost—
had been approved by the BWI Alliance—
the bulk water alliance—
project management team and the alliance leadership group?
Mr Sullivan said:
Yes, it did.
I went on to ask:
Does the paper advise the board that the committee’s total project cost, comprising the approved TOC … the owner’s costs, is $149.793 million, including provisional sums of $7 million for the mini-hydro and $2.3 million for approvals?
Mr Sullivan said:
Yes, that sounds right to me.
I went on to ask:
Does the paper further state the costs are “in line with … forecasts by Actew to the ACT government in December 2008”?
Mr Sullivan said:
Yes.
So I asked this: “After that, the board resolved on 13 May to approve a total budget of $1.98 million for the project, inclusive of the quality pool, and it delegated and authorised you”—that is, Mr Sullivan—“as the managing director, to approve expenditure to that upper limit of $149.8 million for the implementation of the project. Is that right?”
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