Mr ADAMSON - 1996-10-09
What progress is being made with the demolition of the former Stokes Hill power station?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, honourable members will be aware of the work that is being done to clear the old Stokes Hill power station. The site will be made available earlier than anticipated for possible major development. It is a wonderful waterfront site on the harbour at Frances Bay and it is in close proximity to the CBD. The work was not expected to be completed until early next year but it is a couple of months ahead of schedule.
Honourable members may be interested to hear of some of the alternative uses that some of the materials from the old power station will be put to. In particular, they will benefit certain parts of industry and the community in an environmental sense. The 200 t bulk fuel tank has been purchased by Perkins Shipping and removed to the Barge Express yard for use in that facility. That is a small example of recycling. Similarly, a 400 t bulk fuel tank has been cleaned out by a local recycling company, Auscol, and sealed in preparation for floating across the harbour on the high tide next Tuesday. This is for a very interesting project in terms of recycling waste cooking oils and fats. Auscol is a subsidiary of Gardiner-Smith, a major company developing a national network of storage tanks capable of accepting waste cooking oils and fats. From that point of view, alternative means of disposal of the waste, be it at the landfill dumps or through other means, will no longer be required, notwithstanding that a reasonable service is being provided in this regard. This will enable those cooking oils and fats, collected from local restaurants, to be stored at the new port and later refined and processed to produce a range of products including stockfeed. I think that is an excellent example of recycling a product that is somewhat difficult to dispose of.
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Furthermore, Darwin Ship Repair and Engineering has purchased the building frame and cladding from part of the old power station to enclose its hydro-blasting and ship anti-fouling operations. At its facility in Frances Bay, it will be reconstructing part of the old power station to provide a more controlled environment for sandblasting and the application of anti-fouling paints.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: The member for Fannie Bay cannot help herself. She is interjecting again. She purports to be concerned about the environment but, every time that she hears about something positive that is being done - in this case by industry - she just cannot help herself. She has to criticise. She does not like to think that someone is being pro-active and that someone in the private sector is making an investment. In this case, a substantial investment is being made in buying part of the old power station to reconstruct it to enclose the works at the Darwin Ship Repair and Engineering facility, ensuring thereby that both workers and residents in the area will be better served in that work will be able to be undertaken in an enclosed facility.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: The interjections continue, Mr Speaker, despite your plea to have answers heard in silence. People listening to this broadcast are suffering again at the hands of the member for Arnhem and the member for Fannie Bay.
Both projects are excellent examples of recycling. They are excellent examples of industry responding to environmental needs, improving the Darwin environment and making it a safer place for people to live and work in. It is a great pity that these wonderful examples of recycling and response by industry are not better received and recognised by members opposite, particularly the member for Fannie Bay who is the opposition spokesperson on lands, planning and environment. However, one would never know that because she never recognises the positive things that industry is doing. She can focus only on the negatives.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, honourable members will be aware of the work that is being done to clear the old Stokes Hill power station. The site will be made available earlier than anticipated for possible major development. It is a wonderful waterfront site on the harbour at Frances Bay and it is in close proximity to the CBD. The work was not expected to be completed until early next year but it is a couple of months ahead of schedule.
Honourable members may be interested to hear of some of the alternative uses that some of the materials from the old power station will be put to. In particular, they will benefit certain parts of industry and the community in an environmental sense. The 200 t bulk fuel tank has been purchased by Perkins Shipping and removed to the Barge Express yard for use in that facility. That is a small example of recycling. Similarly, a 400 t bulk fuel tank has been cleaned out by a local recycling company, Auscol, and sealed in preparation for floating across the harbour on the high tide next Tuesday. This is for a very interesting project in terms of recycling waste cooking oils and fats. Auscol is a subsidiary of Gardiner-Smith, a major company developing a national network of storage tanks capable of accepting waste cooking oils and fats. From that point of view, alternative means of disposal of the waste, be it at the landfill dumps or through other means, will no longer be required, notwithstanding that a reasonable service is being provided in this regard. This will enable those cooking oils and fats, collected from local restaurants, to be stored at the new port and later refined and processed to produce a range of products including stockfeed. I think that is an excellent example of recycling a product that is somewhat difficult to dispose of.
Page 1649
Furthermore, Darwin Ship Repair and Engineering has purchased the building frame and cladding from part of the old power station to enclose its hydro-blasting and ship anti-fouling operations. At its facility in Frances Bay, it will be reconstructing part of the old power station to provide a more controlled environment for sandblasting and the application of anti-fouling paints.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: The member for Fannie Bay cannot help herself. She is interjecting again. She purports to be concerned about the environment but, every time that she hears about something positive that is being done - in this case by industry - she just cannot help herself. She has to criticise. She does not like to think that someone is being pro-active and that someone in the private sector is making an investment. In this case, a substantial investment is being made in buying part of the old power station to reconstruct it to enclose the works at the Darwin Ship Repair and Engineering facility, ensuring thereby that both workers and residents in the area will be better served in that work will be able to be undertaken in an enclosed facility.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: The interjections continue, Mr Speaker, despite your plea to have answers heard in silence. People listening to this broadcast are suffering again at the hands of the member for Arnhem and the member for Fannie Bay.
Both projects are excellent examples of recycling. They are excellent examples of industry responding to environmental needs, improving the Darwin environment and making it a safer place for people to live and work in. It is a great pity that these wonderful examples of recycling and response by industry are not better received and recognised by members opposite, particularly the member for Fannie Bay who is the opposition spokesperson on lands, planning and environment. However, one would never know that because she never recognises the positive things that industry is doing. She can focus only on the negatives.
Page 1650
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016