Ms BURNET – Back to the stadium, Premier. Already, we’ve gone over $60 million in the likely forecast, or the spending for the stadium. It’s up to $775 million already. On that front, that means it would be one of the most expensive pieces of infrastructure per head of population, at about $1347 per Tasmanian.
If we go back to this list of infrastructure projects, there’s a significant amount which haven’t been funded. The northern access road hasn’t been properly funded, the funding is not identified for the Hunter Street car park and even the event travel behaviour campaign, really vital to get this project over the line in anybody’s books because you can’t have a dysfunctional transport system, that’s unfunded as well. Who is actually going to pay for these unfunded projects?
Mr ROCKLIFF – The public infrastructure projects?
Ms BURNET – Yeah, these are public infrastructure projects.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Firstly, I think you’re making an argument that if it wasn’t for the stadium, that all those projects would be funded. Is that what you’re saying? I think that’s what you’re saying, or won’t get done?
Ms BURNET – I’m saying that they’re not funded.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, I can say that they will get done and you’ve added up some cost there, of course, above the $375 million that we’re committed to. We’re investing $375 million, okay? The federal government are putting $240 million into the Macquarie Point Precinct, and we’ll expect to get additional funds from the private sector. We went through that quite a bit this morning in Estimates. If you’re asking for an update on those individual projects, I’m happy to provide some of that. Do you have any, Craig?
Mr LIMKIN – I just want to be clear that these projects that you’ve listed are actually not part of the stadium. They are transport projects that the government has committed to through various strategies. As Ms McIntyre said, the Keep Hobart Moving strategy has been out for consultation. It lists in there the northern suburbs transit corridor and the rapid bus networks. The Department of State Growth has been undertaking strategic business cases for these projects and we continue to do that, as consistent with government policy, to identify the costs and the way forward. Even the northern access road, this Budget contains funding for the department to undertake the preliminary work and the planning work to enable that project to proceed.
Ms BURNET – We’ll just get onto the bus rapid transit because, from my reading of the Budget, there is very little detail. There was a big announcement in July in relation to how brilliant this was going to be. Where and how much priority are you putting on the bus rapid transit and when will it be delivered?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, firstly, I’m very excited about it.
Ms BURNET – That’s good.
Mr ROCKLIFF – We’re committed to delivering an effective public transport solution so we can utilise the northern suburbs transit corridor. What I’m excited about is the opportunity of densification along the corridor in terms of mixed housing –
Ms BURNET – It’s been on the books for a long time.
Mr ROCKLIFF – which is exciting because it provides that medium‑density housing that we spoke about in the population policy, Mrs Beswick, as well. Affordable housing but also close access to a transport corridor as well.
Ms BURNET – It has been talked about for a long time with very little action.
