Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present four reports of the committee, as listed at item 12 on today’s Order of Business.

Ordered that the reports be printed.

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the reports.

I seek leave to incorporate my tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows—

71ST ANNUAL REPORT; HMAS CRESWELL REDEVELOPMENT, JERVIS BAY TERRITORY; LAND ENGINEERING AGENCY TEST SERVICES RELOCATION, MONEGEETTA, VICTORIA; REFURBISHMENT OF STAFF APARTMENTS, AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY COMPLEX, TOKYO, JAPAN.

On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works I present the Committee’s first, second, third and fourth reports of 2008.

Report 1, 2008 is the seventy-first annual report of the Public Works Committee. Under the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the PWC is required to table a report of its activities within fifteen sitting days after the year ended 31 December.

This report covers the activities of the PWC of the 41st Parliament during 2007. The Committee of this Parliament felt unable to comment in any substantial nature on the work of its predecessor, so this report fulfils its obligations under the Act, but does not offer any detailed commentary of the activity of the Committee.

Likewise, reports two, three and four are reports of inquiries that were finalised by the PWC of the 41st Parliament. These reports relate to the following referrals:

• HMAS Creswell Redevelopment, Jervis Bay Territory;
• Land Engineering Agency Test Services Relocation, Monegeetta, Victoria; and
• Refurbishment of Staff Apartments, Australian Embassy Complex, Tokyo, Japan.

These referrals were originally made to the PWC of the 41st Parliament in the first half of 2007. The Committee had finalised, and adopted, its report into each inquiry but had not tabled the reports due to the dissolution of the 41st Parliament. Proponent agencies for each work have assured the Committee that there are no changes to the proposed works.

Taking this into consideration, the PWC of the 42nd Parliament did not wish to delay the progression of these works any further so rather than undertake the inquiries again or spend time writing its own report, it has adopted the reports as adopted by the PWC of the 41st Parliament. While these reports bear the name of the PWC of the 42nd Parliament, they are entirely the work of the PWC of the 41st Parliament.

Mr President, I would like to thank the PWC of the 41st Parliament, for all its work in relation to this inquiry. In particular, I would like to thank the former Chair of the Committee, the Hon Judy Moylan MP, for her work.

Mr President, I commend the reports to the House.

Question agreed to.