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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 404 asked in the Legislative Council on 16 August 2017 by Hon Jim Chown

Parliament: 40 Session: 1


BUSSELTON AIRPORT — EXPANSION PROJECT
      404. Hon JIM CHOWN to the minister representing the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the prolonged optimisation review undertaken by the McGowan government into Busselton Airport's expansion project that has effectively seen a halt to civil works at the terminal since May. I am just wondering whether the minister can answer?
Hon Alannah MacTiernan: If you ask me the question as the minister responsible, I can answer.
Hon JIM CHOWN: Okay; I am asking the minister as the minister responsible.
      (1) Is the minister aware that the government's efforts to pull funds from this project have the potential to result in a 12‑month delay due to the schedule of flights from the proposed spring September 2018 start?
      (2) How does the minister justify this uncertainty, given that the Committee for Perth has said that new international airports at Busselton, Margaret River and Broome are critical for improving Western Australia's aviation access to international markets?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
      (1)–(2) We certainly do not accept that we have delayed this project. The member will be aware that the airside works are continuing. We do not apologise for the fact that, given the very considerable sums of money involved, we decided it was important for us to go through and check the scope and cost to assess a value‑for‑money proposition. In fact, I find it worrying that concerns are being expressed on the other side about the fact that we might be checking to ensure that we are getting value for money. I could list all the other funded projects, such as the Ningaloo Centre, that we have been left with because they were not properly scoped or analysed. We were determined that we were not going to blindly follow the previous process. Indeed, after my very first meeting with the Shire of Busselton, it acknowledged that there would be $4 million in cost savings available. I think the member will find that there has been some benefit to the shire in us going through this process. We will proceed with this project, but we do not apologise for ensuring that we are exercising care and caution to make sure that the scope and cost of this project are in hand.