Question On Notice No. 379 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 September 2017 by Hon Robin Chapple
Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to question on notice No. 35, Water for Food West Kimberley Program, to the Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Water in the Legislative Council on 29 June 2017, and ask:
(a) as the current Government does not have access to the business cases for the Water for Food West Kimberley Program, does it have confidence that the program is a sound investment of public money;
(b) if yes to (a), how has the new Government determined that the program is a good investment in public money;
(c) if no to (a), what are the government’s concerns about the program;
(d) will the Minister request that the business cases be prepared and provided given that the business cases developed by the previous Government are Cabinet-in-Confidence and cannot be accessed;
(e) if no to (d), why not;
(f) if yes to (d), will the Minister make them publicly available;
(g) if no to (f), why not;
(h) how much remaining funding is there for the Water for Food West Kimberley Program; and
(i) when are the final reports expected for all the projects?
Answered on 28 November 2017
(a) to (g) I have been advised that the Water for Food West Kimberley groundwater exploratory drilling program is complete. All other on-ground work is substantially complete. The remaining work includes monitoring of bores until the completion of the program; environmental field investigations in collaboration with the National Environmental Science Programme’s Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub; and continuation of the Mowanjum irrigation trial until 30 December 2017.
As the program is more than three quarters complete and on-ground work is substantially complete, it is important that the scientific information and data that has been gathered, be reported on. As this will be the focus of the final six months of the program it would be inappropriate to require the preparation of a fresh business case at this stage. It is only once the data is gathered and the final reports completed that we will see if this project, developed and funded under the previous Govt. represented a sound investment of public money.
(h) As at 30 June 2017 there was $2,016,972 remaining.
(I) Final reports are to be completed by 30 June 2018