Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs, I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , the following proposed work be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Work s for consideration and report: Construction of a new Australian embassy complex including chancery and head of mission residence in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade proposes to construct a new purpose-built embassy complex including a chancery and head of mission residence in Bangkok, Thailand, at an estimated cost of $190.8 million. Following the terrorist bomb attack at the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004 and a global review of physical security at Australia's overseas missions, the government approved the relocation of the Bangkok embassy complex on security grounds. The new site will enable appropriate setbacks for the chancery and head of mission residence buildings for blast mitigation while the buildings themselves will be designed to mitigate blast. The Australian government constructed of the existing buildings in 1979 for use as a chancery and head of mission residence.

The new development proposal is driven by the imperative to provide more secure accommodation. The new embassy complex will be on leased land adjacent to the embassy of Japan in the Pathum Wan district of Bangkok, which is in the same general district as the current embassy. As well as providing appropriate physical security, the project will deliver a modern, functional chancery building to accommodate tenant agencies as well as provision of a new official residence for the ambassador, family members and high-level visitors.

As a major overseas mission, the Bangkok embassy is significant in representational terms as well as acting as a hub for other Australian missions in the region. The new facilities will be capable of catering for the large range of representational functions that will be undertaken at the chancery. Through the use of public spaces, conference rooms and outdoor areas as well as the official representational areas of the head of mission residence, the buildings will accommodate events such as official receptions, exhibitions and trade displays, meetings, lectures and business missions. Subject to parliamentary approval, construction of the major works package could commence in October 2013 with practical completion in late March 2016 followed by security and furniture fit-out with occupation of the complex scheduled for around June 2016. I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.