NEED FOR REFORM AS ACT MISSES OUT ON INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING AGAIN
The ACT Governments lack of rigour and inability to present a substantial argument for Federal infrastructure funding highlights the need for the Canberra Liberals Bill, Infrastructure Canberra, which will see the establishment of an Infrastructure Commissioner in the ACT.
This comes after the Australian National Audit Office released a report into Federal infrastructure submissions, which found that the ACT Government failed to meet the basic requirements for four of its preferred projects including the Majura parkway, Leader of the Opposition, Zed Seselja, said today.
“Quite clearly something needs to change. ACT Labor continues to not be able to successfully demonstrate a detailed case about Federal infrastructure funding with their Federal Labor counterparts.
“The Majura Parkway is the perfect example of ACT Labor’s lacklustre approach. Infrastructure Australia deemed the Majura Parkway project the best benefit to cost ratio of the nine designated priority projects in the nation, yet it was the only priority project not to receive funding.
“This is yet another example in a long list of negotiations with the Federal government where the ACT has been left with nothing. There was the previous Infrastructure Australia round of funding the ACT missed out on, as well as Federal Labor’s withdrawal of funding for the upgrade of Constitution Avenue.
“The establishment of an Infrastructure Commissioner and board of experts will provide the detailed and professional approach necessary to deliver better outcomes for submissions to the Federal government and overall delivery of major projects.
“One way or another the ACT community will be paying more every time we lose out on major federal infrastructure funding rounds. Infrastructure Canberra is a long overdue reform that will deliver better infrastructure results for Canberrans,” Zed concluded.
26 July 2010
