Page 1614 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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MR BARR: No.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, what is the government’s revised estimate of the cost of the Mr Fluffy buyback scheme based upon the auction results?
MR BARR: Ten blocks are not a sufficient sample to make significant adjustments, but the advice I have at this stage is that there is no change as a result of the results of those first 10. As more data becomes available, the government will, of course, update those expectations.
If the imputation in the question is that the government will make any money at all out of the Mr Fluffy process, that is patently wrong and will never be the case. The issue is whether the community will be out of pocket $400 million or something slightly less than that.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, will the prices realised so far now mean that the government could make a profit from the scheme, and what is your revised estimate of the outcomes?
MR BARR: No, definitely not. There is no way that the government can make a profit given the costs associated with the buyback, the demolition, the remediation and all of the assistance that has been provided. So let me be absolutely clear: the government and, through the government, the broader community will be making a significant contribution in the several hundreds of millions of dollars to the eradication of the Mr Fluffy legacy. This suggestion that there is a profit to be made by anyone is fundamentally wrong.
Schools—Black Mountain School
MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Minister for Education. Minister, what is the current status of the Black Mountain special school swimming pool? Is it currently functional and operational?
MR RATTENBURY: I have not received any advice or any concerns on that matter, but I will happily look into it for Mr Doszpot and provide him with some information.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, could you also look into when the government or the directorate first became aware of the leak at the pool and what damage the water loss has caused?
MR RATTENBURY: Yes, I will seek that information and provide it to the chamber.
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