Senate debates

Monday, 17 August 2009

Questions without Notice: Additional Answers

Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program

3:05 pm

Photo of Chris EvansChris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | | Hansard source

I have a further response to a question from Senator Scullion that he asked of me on Thursday, 13 August about SIHIP. The Northern Territory government has committed $20 million per year of their own funding to SIHIP. This will be $100 million over the five-year life of the program. With the $572 million contributed by the Australian government, this brings the total program funding to $672 million. He also asked me about program management costs. I have the current figure. They are running at 11.4 per cent, and the government is working to reduce that to eight per cent by the end of the year. I seek leave to incorporate the response in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

The Northern Territory Government has committed $20 million per year of their own funding to SIHIP. This will be $100 million over the 5 year life of the program.

With the $572 million contributed by the Australian Government this brings the total program funding up to $672 million.

At present program management costs are running at 11.4% and the Governments are working to reduce this to 8% by the end of the year.

The majority of this funding is not used to cover expenses incurred by the Northern Territory Government but to purchase the technical support needed to manage this program including project managers, quantity surveyors, auditors and design specialists.