Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 8:39:12 to 8:43:10
The hearing concludes this segment with questions regarding project proponents in Tasmania and the $45 million commitment for the Nunawading Indoor Sports Centre, focusing on cost verification and council priorities.
Topics: Infrastructure, Government spending
Speakers: Hon Bridget McKenzie, Lisa Rauter, Jacinta McDonald, Unknown Speaker, Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Mr. Jim Betts
Oh, I I've got heaps. So, okay, we will now go to I wish my Tasmanian senators were still here. Okay. In Northern Tasmania, how many BASS projects were selected for MLCIP funding?
Can I just add we have a great local member in Bass, an absolutely fantastic
>> Senator We don't collect projects by electorate. So I've got 56 projects in Tasmania.
these. You don't track them by electorate, but this whole program was set up by electorate. >> I think your minister would prefer them to be tracked by electorate. Then she wouldn't have a rowdy backbench.
>> She has never asked us to do that.
>> Sorry, Senator. Just to clarify, it was 22.
>> 22. Thank you. >> 22 in Tasmania or 22 in back?
>> Tasmania. We don't collect by
>> Okay. So, why don't we go by town in Tasmania? cancel out Hobart.
>> I've got the Lagana indoor basketball facility which
who nominated that project. We won't
know in any of those who nominated the
who made the announcement.
[snorts] We'd have to take that on notice. We don't have that information with us. We'd have to go back to our original spreadsheet that attaches the media announcement.
were local councils consulted before invitations to apply were issued for this project?
We don't consult with local councils. We just issue the invitation to those agreed list of proponents for the
proponents. Are they have you had to change who the proponent is off the list once you sort of
>> the proponent is always this the proponent that was announced just sometimes they have a sponsor being their local council or state government.
>> So in how in how many cases was [clears throat] a sponsor required? Um, can I have a list of those 64?
>> We can take that on notice for you. Yes.
>> Yes. Thank you. No, don't try and find them now. [snorts] I'm getting a lot of questions from local counselors who feel their priority projects were excluded. was any comparative assessment undertaken of the infrastructure need across Northern Tasmania before announcing Northern Tasmanians? Braden and Bass,
>> we have no insight into what's happened before they're announced.
>> Do projects have completed costings before election announcements?
>> I could not give you that insight.
>> Well, given it's taking so long to execute funding agreements, it would suggest not. Uh, were any project scopes or funding amounts changed after assessment?
>> There were some project scopes that were changed after assessment.
>> Okay. In Tasmania, who were they?
>> We might have to take that on notice. Senator,
>> I'll I'll come back to you if I can.