14/08/2007
Today’s Canberra Times reports that Senator Minchin has failed as Finance
Minister once again, overseeing $50 million in wasted expenditure on a new
home for the Australian Federal Police which is too small for them before they
even move in.
This latest bungle follows Centrelink’s new building being too small
for its soaring numbers and AusAid’s new building in London Circuit being
inadequate for its fast expanding workforce.
The issues demonstrate Senator Minchin’s failure to:
- ensure that new buildings actually meet operational requirements; and
- control the speed at which the public sector is growing.
In the past few years, with revenues burgeoning from the mining boom the Government
has lead a building boom in Canberra. Lucky Departments benefiting from this
boom include:
- The Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet;
- The Australian Tax Office;
- Centrelink;
- AusAid;
- Attorney General’s Department; and
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
However, because of poor planning and lack of management from Senator Minchin, many of these Departments are too big to fit into through the doors of their new accommodation.
Senator Minchin must explain why these massive Government building projects
have been so poorly planned and managed and what he is going to do to ensure
these mistakes are not repeated.
14 August 2007
