Mr BURKE - 2003-08-12
I remain to be convinced about this announcement that you made about the waterfront development. I turn to the time line that you have proposed in getting this development up. You have said in the House that there is no preferred developer at the moment and you are going to expressions of interest, and they will be finalised in mid-2004, for construction to begin in late 2004 or early 2005. I would remind members, that is barely six months to get a development through for a 10 to 15 year development …
Madam SPEAKER: Your question, Leader of the Opposition?
Mr BURKE: How can the Chief Minister convince Territorians that, in that six months, assessment, engineering, design, planning and detailed financials can be conducted so that the right developer, the right decision and the right use of taxpayers’ money is decided?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be the Chief Minister of a can-do government, as opposed to ‘don’t do it, find every problem with it, create unnecessary issues about it’ that we hear from the opposition. As I said, and very clearly, in my public statement, this is an ambitious time line. We are looking at a whole lot of factors associated with this redevelopment and, I believe, with the factors currently at play with the growth predicted in our economy, that this is the right time to go ahead with this project. We need to build our population, our attractiveness as a tourist destination and, certainly, these are key components.
I will not deny it is an ambitious time line, but I believe we can achieve it. We have set ourselves the target, unlike the opposition, who seem to have a different position for each day, all based on ignorance. We are a go-ahead government, with a bold and visionary plan for the development of the waterfront, and we are going to go ahead with it.
It is so disappointing to again hear the negativity, the opposition, the anti-building the Territory economy, the anti-development we are hearing from that side of the House.
Madam Speaker, this will be done with great integrity. Once we are through the expressions of interest and the negotiation with the successful tenderers, all the issues to do with expenditure will be fully accounted; have no doubt about this. However, this is the process of the bidding, and it will not be done publicly, or at the whim of the opposition.
Madam SPEAKER: Your question, Leader of the Opposition?
Mr BURKE: How can the Chief Minister convince Territorians that, in that six months, assessment, engineering, design, planning and detailed financials can be conducted so that the right developer, the right decision and the right use of taxpayers’ money is decided?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be the Chief Minister of a can-do government, as opposed to ‘don’t do it, find every problem with it, create unnecessary issues about it’ that we hear from the opposition. As I said, and very clearly, in my public statement, this is an ambitious time line. We are looking at a whole lot of factors associated with this redevelopment and, I believe, with the factors currently at play with the growth predicted in our economy, that this is the right time to go ahead with this project. We need to build our population, our attractiveness as a tourist destination and, certainly, these are key components.
I will not deny it is an ambitious time line, but I believe we can achieve it. We have set ourselves the target, unlike the opposition, who seem to have a different position for each day, all based on ignorance. We are a go-ahead government, with a bold and visionary plan for the development of the waterfront, and we are going to go ahead with it.
It is so disappointing to again hear the negativity, the opposition, the anti-building the Territory economy, the anti-development we are hearing from that side of the House.
Madam Speaker, this will be done with great integrity. Once we are through the expressions of interest and the negotiation with the successful tenderers, all the issues to do with expenditure will be fully accounted; have no doubt about this. However, this is the process of the bidding, and it will not be done publicly, or at the whim of the opposition.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016