Labor Treasurer Kevin Foley could not rule out further blowouts in the costs of the Port River Bridges project in Budget Estimates hearings today, according to Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas.
“Mr Foley could provide no satisfactory answer as to why the cost of the project – including the opening bridges – had actually blown out by $42 million in just the last 12 months,” Mr Lucas said today.
“In last year’s Estimates Committee Mr Foley said the total cost of the project would be $136m.
“However, the Rann Government’s latest estimate is now $178m or a blowout of $42m in one year.
“This is just another example of Rann Government waste and mismanagement and an indication of a government that has lost control of its capital works program.”
Mr Lucas said other examples of waste already included:
• major blow outs in other capital works projects such as Sturt Street Community School ($5m) and Flinders Medical Centre’s Margaret Tobin Centre ($7m)
• blow out in public servant numbers of 1800 in just one year, most of which are not police, teachers, nurses etc
• blow out in Ministerial staff salary costs by $16m over four years
“It now seems extraordinary that having just seen a $42m blowout on this project we can have the Treasurer of the state confessing that he can’t rule out further budget blowouts on the project,” Mr Lucas said.