Mr BAYLEY – Minister, a couple of questions in relation to your most recent ministerial direction, 9 June 2025. One is around procurement:
The MPDC is not to commence any procurement activity in respect to the construction of the stadium, including the issue of future opportunity notice, until approval for procurement strategy has been obtained from the Macquarie Point Urban Renewal Committee of Cabinet through the Oversight Committee.
I know we’re still at 70 per cent or slightly more with the design, has there been any approval around procurement approved at this point, understanding, of course, that it’s not a legally approved stadium, but that doesn’t preclude steps being taken. Has there been any approval?
Mr LIMKIN – The Macquarie Point Urban Renewal Oversight Committee considered papers from MPDC which Ms Beach can run you through in a second, Mr Bayley; and provided a recommendation to the government that they should commence procurement processes, as you heard earlier, MPDC is preparing to go to market. The other thing I would say, is that MPDC has been utilising the gateway process, you’ve heard Ms Beach talk about that. A gate 3 done and is in readiness to go to market, it’s a pre‑procurement test and that was also discussed and looked at by the oversight committee as part of its assessment in providing the recommendation to government. But, Ms Beach, do you want to talk about what you’ve done in providing that to the community?
Ms BEACH – Through you minister. We developed a procurement strategy before commencing any procurement on this project – putting on the design team and similar – at the start of 2024 and starting that process. That identified that a design and construct approach was the best fit for the project. However, throughout the process we’ve made continual checks to ensure that it’s still the right fit. We reviewed that when we had some additional members come to our board. We reviewed it again after the market sounding process that the minister referred to before, and the decision to continue with the design and construct – we did a number of workshops to make sure that was still the best fit to get the best outcome for the community and it has remained that. That is the strategy that we provided through to the oversight committee.
Mr BAYLEY – Is the strategy the same thing as the procurement methodology?
Ms BEACH – Yes. The design and construct is the method of procurement.
Mr BAYLEY – Is that a public document or is that able to be tabled?
Ms BEACH – That strategy considers the different elements that we need to consider and objectives and weighing up different options. We could review the document and see if there’s a form that that could be shared.
Mr BAYLEY – Take that on notice, could you?
Mr ABETZ – Yes.
Mr BAYLEY – In terms of updates, the quarterly updates, I notice the most recent quarterly update is for the year ending 30 June 2024. We’re a bit less than a year and a half off. What has happened to the quarterly updates from the Macquarie Point Development Corporation?
Ms BEACH – Through you minister. There wasn’t a statement of expectations from the previous year. There is one for the current financial year and we are due to give that quarterly report to the minister.
