Mrs HICKEY - 1994-10-05
I remind the minister that the project ratification agreement between McArthur River Mine and the Northern Territory government included extensions of and upgrading to the Borroloola airstrip. Borroloola residents are now concerned that this upgrading is to be reduced in scope because MIM has extended the airstrip at McArthur River itself. Can the government assure the people of Borroloola that they will receive this needed infrastructure development in Borroloola? When will the work be completed and exactly what will be done?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there was indeed an agreement with McArthur River Mine in relation to developments in that area resulting from the project proceeding. One of the areas where the government had undertaken to carry out works was in relation to the Borroloola airstrip. That related to extending the length of the airstrip and upgrading the lighting to enable the airstrip to be used as the main aircraft access to that area, in particular for mine staff and activities associated with the new mine. I am not quite sure of the distances, but I believe the mine is about 60 km from Borroloola proper. Is that right?
Mrs Hickey: 90 km.
Mr MANZIE: It is 90 km. The idea was that people would fly to Borroloola and travel by road to the mine. At that stage, the company was content to have a gravel strip at the mine site itself. Since then, it has told the government that it is upgrading that gravel strip to a standard that will enable it to be used by aircraft of the size that it will be utilising to fly people in and out.
As a result, the government had to reassess whether it would spend $1m on the Borroloola airstrip when $1m was being spent on an airstrip 90 km away to take the traffic loads that it had been contemplated would go to Borroloola itself. The government decided that there was no requirement to upgrade the Borroloola airstrip to the extent agreed on previously. However, because of the increased activity, and the necessity to ensure that the airstrip could operate day and night and accommodate larger aircraft in the way that airstrips at Maningrida and a couple of other places in that north-east Arnhem region do, we gave an undertaking to increase the length of the Borroloola runway by 300 m and to install lighting to enable the strip to be used 24 hours a day. That extension will be sealed and appropriately prepared. Work will be done also on facilities for people who use the strip in terms of ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting
Mr MANZIE: I cannot give the figure, but it will be the same length roughly as the strip at Maningrida. It could be about 1300 m. This work will bring it up to that standard. At the moment, the Borroloola airstrip is about 900 m or 1000 m long. This will take it to...
Mr Hatton: It would overcome the weight limitations in hot weather.
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Mr MANZIE: That will involve expenditure of about $0.25m to provide the Borroloola community and people in that area with an upgraded facility and a 24-hour capability using a sealed strip. At the end of the day, there will be double the capacity in that area.
Mrs Hickey: When?
Mr MANZIE: Actually, in terms of ...
Mr Coulter: What community in Australia has a strip of that length to service that number of people, with another strip 90 km down the road?
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, it will mean that the people of Borroloola will have one of the better airstrips in a remote community in Australia.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, the member for Barkly has the audacity to rise in this Chamber and criticise the government for making a statement about upgrading the airport at Borroloola, despite the fact that, for many months, she had one of her staff members actively working in that area to prevent that mine commencing. We are all aware of that. The hypocritical approach by the member for Barkly is astounding.
The work on the airstrip will be commenced during this budgetary period and $0.25m will be spent. I will be happy to obtain information on the exact date of commencement and completion and provide it to the member for Barkly. However, we should all be aware of the member for Barkly's role in relation to the McArthur River Mine and the activities of her employed staff member for many months before this project got off the ground.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there was indeed an agreement with McArthur River Mine in relation to developments in that area resulting from the project proceeding. One of the areas where the government had undertaken to carry out works was in relation to the Borroloola airstrip. That related to extending the length of the airstrip and upgrading the lighting to enable the airstrip to be used as the main aircraft access to that area, in particular for mine staff and activities associated with the new mine. I am not quite sure of the distances, but I believe the mine is about 60 km from Borroloola proper. Is that right?
Mrs Hickey: 90 km.
Mr MANZIE: It is 90 km. The idea was that people would fly to Borroloola and travel by road to the mine. At that stage, the company was content to have a gravel strip at the mine site itself. Since then, it has told the government that it is upgrading that gravel strip to a standard that will enable it to be used by aircraft of the size that it will be utilising to fly people in and out.
As a result, the government had to reassess whether it would spend $1m on the Borroloola airstrip when $1m was being spent on an airstrip 90 km away to take the traffic loads that it had been contemplated would go to Borroloola itself. The government decided that there was no requirement to upgrade the Borroloola airstrip to the extent agreed on previously. However, because of the increased activity, and the necessity to ensure that the airstrip could operate day and night and accommodate larger aircraft in the way that airstrips at Maningrida and a couple of other places in that north-east Arnhem region do, we gave an undertaking to increase the length of the Borroloola runway by 300 m and to install lighting to enable the strip to be used 24 hours a day. That extension will be sealed and appropriately prepared. Work will be done also on facilities for people who use the strip in terms of ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting
Mr MANZIE: I cannot give the figure, but it will be the same length roughly as the strip at Maningrida. It could be about 1300 m. This work will bring it up to that standard. At the moment, the Borroloola airstrip is about 900 m or 1000 m long. This will take it to...
Mr Hatton: It would overcome the weight limitations in hot weather.
Page 175
Mr MANZIE: That will involve expenditure of about $0.25m to provide the Borroloola community and people in that area with an upgraded facility and a 24-hour capability using a sealed strip. At the end of the day, there will be double the capacity in that area.
Mrs Hickey: When?
Mr MANZIE: Actually, in terms of ...
Mr Coulter: What community in Australia has a strip of that length to service that number of people, with another strip 90 km down the road?
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, it will mean that the people of Borroloola will have one of the better airstrips in a remote community in Australia.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, the member for Barkly has the audacity to rise in this Chamber and criticise the government for making a statement about upgrading the airport at Borroloola, despite the fact that, for many months, she had one of her staff members actively working in that area to prevent that mine commencing. We are all aware of that. The hypocritical approach by the member for Barkly is astounding.
The work on the airstrip will be commenced during this budgetary period and $0.25m will be spent. I will be happy to obtain information on the exact date of commencement and completion and provide it to the member for Barkly. However, we should all be aware of the member for Barkly's role in relation to the McArthur River Mine and the activities of her employed staff member for many months before this project got off the ground.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016