Inquiry Into The Cross City Tunnel
Second Report
Reverend the Hon Fred Nile MLC, Chairman of the NSW Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on the Cross City Tunnel, has announced that the Committee’s Second Report has been tabled today.
“The Cross City Tunnel has now been operating for more than eight months, since it opened for traffic on 28 August 2005. The Committee’s First Report, tabled in February of this year, captured the dissatisfaction of the community over the Cross City Tunnel project and made 17 recommendations to immediately address the disruption on the surface streets of central Sydney, and to ensure that future infrastructure projects delivered by Public Private Partnership arrangements are not similarly compromised” Reverend Nile said.
“This Second Report of the Committee outlines the developments in relation to the Cross City Tunnel since the Committee’s First Report, which have gone some way to addressing the concerns raised by the Committee. More can be done, however, and the Committee has made further recommendations such as permanently lowering the toll once this current reduced toll period concludes” Reverend Nile continued.
“The Second Report also examines the role of government agencies in Public Private Partnerships more generally. Public Private Partnerships fill a small but significant niche in the provision of public infrastructure in New South Wales, with between 10 and 15% of the State’s capital program delivered through such arrangements. It is crucial that the Government addresses the public mistrust of private involvement in the provision of public infrastructure and services. To that end, the focus of the recommendations in this report has been on improving the transparency of PPP arrangements.”
The Committee received a total of 75 submissions over the course of the Inquiry and heard evidence from 78 witnesses over 9 days of hearings in December 2005, and February, March and April 2006. The Committee will report on its continuing Inquiry into the Lane Cove Tunnel project in September 2006.
The Joint Select Committee membership is Revd the Hon Fred Nile MLC (CDP) [Chairman], the Hon Amanda Fazio MLC (ALP), the Hon Greg Pearce MLC (Lib), Ms Lee Rhiannon MLC (Greens), Mr Matt Brown MP (ALP), Mr Andrew Constance MP (Lib), Mr Paul McLeay MP (ALP), and Mr John Turner MP (Nat). Mr Brown MP (ALP) replaced Mr Michael Daley MP (ALP) on the Committee on 2 March 2006.
Information about the
Committee’s Inquiry, including how to make a submission and copies of the terms
of reference are available from the Committee’s website at
www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/crosscitytunnel or from the Committee secretariat
on (02) 9230 3554 or via email to
crosscitytunnel@parliament.nsw.gov.au.
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Rev Fred Nile MLC: 9230 2978 / 0418 619 731
Rev Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC: 9230 3340 / 4389 1860 / 0407 433 499
Christian Democratic Party, GPO Box 141, Sydney NSW 2001.
Phone: 1300-667-975 Email:admin@cdp.org.au
web:
www.cdp.org.au