2016-09-12
WA taxpayers may not know the true cost of cancelling contracts into Roe 8 until it's too late, after the Turnbull government again refused to comply with a Senate Order for the Production of Documents1 today.
"Yet again the Turnbull government, covering for their state colleagues, have offered a flimsy excuse for keeping details of this project hidden from the public. The government seems to think the public are better off not knowing the extent of their liability for termination of the contracts," Australian Greens Co-Deputy Leader and Senator for WA Scott Ludlam said today.
"The further we go along this path of signing contracts and bulldozing bushland, means more wasted taxes for no result. The sooner Labor commit to ripping up the contracts, the ball will be in the Liberals court to cease signing contracts.
"It cost Victorians $642million to unravel complex contracts signed by the Napthine Government into the East West Link because Labor took so long to announce their intention, allowing the Liberals to continue to sign contracts and rack up an enormous bill until the very last minute.
"It was up to the Greens to run a successful campaign to have that disastrous road stopped. The same will happen here in WA with the Roe 8 project. It's past time now. WA Labor need to get off the fence and commit to tearing up the contracts," Senator Ludlam said.
"We'll keep trying to force some transparency. Today the senate voted to compel the government to release2 traffic modelling and meetings between ministers and the successful tenderer, major Liberal Party donor Leighton Holdings (CIMIC Group Ltd). We'll hear what the next government excuse is on Thursday.
1 http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/motions/order-production-documents-related-perth-freight-link
2 http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/motions/correspondence-relating-perth-freight-link