Page 1740 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 June 2014

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Dr Bourke: On a point of order—

MR DOSZPOT: Can you either have Aspire or ASPECT—

MADAM SPEAKER: I am sorry, Mr Doszpot; Dr Bourke has a point of order.

MR DOSZPOT: On preamble, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: I think you already heard me, Dr Bourke, raise the same point of order, so it was unnecessary. Mr Doszpot, I did raise it with Mr Hanson as well. Can I remind members that supplementary questions do not have preamble. So can you ask your question?

MR DOSZPOT: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Minister, have either Aspire or ASPECT accessed any of the $12.5 million allocated to sector readiness and what undertakings have Aspire and ASPECT given to you or your officials that they have the ability to be operational by the end of the school year 2014?

MS BURCH: In my previous statement I said I was quite happy to come back with an updated list about organisations that have accessed those grants around sector preparedness. As I also made comment in the earlier question, I am not privy to those discussions between the agency, the NDIA and KPMG that are doing the work on market sounding.

Budget—infrastructure

MS PORTER: My question is to the Treasurer and Minister for Economic Development. Treasurer, can you outline to the Assembly how yesterday’s budget invests in Canberra and strengthens our economy?

MR BARR: I thank Ms Porter for the question. There are two key ways that yesterday’s budget invests in and strengthens our economy—firstly, through infrastructure spending of $2½ billion over the forward estimates period, and also in a range of recurrent measures to grow our economy.

The infrastructure projects that are funded as part of the budget have wide benefit across the ACT economy and across our community. In health and education, projects that are advanced include the University of Canberra public hospital, a new school for the Molonglo valley in the suburb of Coombs, and the further development of the new CIT campus in Tuggeranong. There will also be new public buildings, including the new Gungahlin office block for the ACT public service, the new Supreme Court facilities, further work on the convention centre project, and the city to the lake project. These all help to support private sector employment, in terms of both professional services associated with project development and through the construction phase with those engaged in the construction sector.

The government is also improving public infrastructure throughout the territory, with new investments in road and light rail infrastructure, a significant investment in new


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