Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE, Mr VINCENT
I am not sure if you have had an opportunity to read the section of the draft Integrated Assessment Report that relates to your areas of portfolio responsibility, one of which is TasPorts, but I refer you to page 76, clauses (g) and (k).
The operation of the stadium facilities for major events would require Evans Street to be closed for general traffic, including freight vehicles accessing the port. A northern access road would be required for the Port of Hobart to operate effectively.
A northern access road is part of a requirement for the project, but the draft report finds that at McVilly Drive near the Aquatic Centre (you go under McVilly Drive to get onto the Cenotaph) the bridge is too low. It says:
The ability for the design and operation of the northern access road to accommodate all freight vehicles appears to be limited by the height restrictions associated with McVilly Drive
The Tasmanian Planning Commission, as part of its Integrated Assessment Report, has identified very significant problems for freight movement as a result of the stadium’s construction and operation.
Do you agree that these issues should be further explored as part of an independent assessment process?
ANSWER
Mr President, I will seek some clarification. There is a body of work that has been done. The Department of State Growth has set aside about $3 million for work to be done mainly on the northern access road. There are some details highlighted in the report, a few other issues that they will be looking at and coming back to us with a detailed report on the recommendations on costings and where we go to from there.
That allocation has already been utilised by the Department of State Growth for that body of work at the moment.
Ms O’Connor – The question is, do you think it should be part of a draft integrated assessment?
Mr VINCENT – I have not had oversight over that. I am just dealing with the fact that we are looking into how that road needs to interact with the development, and the precinct as a whole not just the study.
Ms O’CONNOR – I have a supplementary question.
Mr PRESIDENT – A supplementary from the member for Hobart.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Ms O’CONNOR – Through the draft Integrated Assessment Report, the Department of State Growth has advised that the redevelopment of the McVilly Drive intersection to enable use by overheight freight vehicles is not an option it is considering. Evans Street will be used to provide access for these vehicles, including heavy freight vehicles. Can you see that there is an incompatibility here between larger vehicles being unable to access the port via the northern access road and Evans Street being a construction site? What is your response to what are, apparently, irreconcilable tensions for freight transport as a result of the stadium’s construction?
Mr VINCENT – I can add that, of course, Evans Street is the access used for the port and everything happening there at the moment and, as I said before, the department is looking at how the northern access will interact with the rest of the site. That will include how that works with Evans Street or McVilly Drive. Design work has not been finalised on that yet, so, our work is a separate body of work for all that –
Ms O’Connor – Through you, minister is that work they are presenting to the Tasmanian Planning Commission?
Mr VINCENT – I am not familiar with that, I am sorry. It is certainly work that the department will come back to me with when it is finished.
