The Rockliff
Liberal Government’s tardiness on the Brighton High School project has cost
Tasmanian taxpayers $44 million dollars.
When the
Liberals first made the promise to build the school in 2018, $30 million was
budgeted for the build.
With no
preliminary work done before the promise, it was soon revealed the Government’s
costings were completely undercooked, with the price tag for the school
ballooning to $50 million – two thirds higher than originally budgeted.
Today it has
been revealed that the budget has blown out to $74 million, an astonishing
146.66 per cent increase on its original price.
Despite the
Liberals committing
to the build commencing within the next term of government when they first
announced a new Brighton High School in February 2018, it’s taken five long
years to turn the first sod and locals and the Tasmanian taxpayer is paying the
price for their tardiness.
Now the first
sod has been turned, the clock has started ticking on the 31 October
2024 date for Practical Completion outlined in the tender document to build
an entire new high school.
We know the
cost of building has skyrocketed while the Liberals have sat on their hands,
and that you get a lot less for your money now than you did five years ago.
Will there be
further cost blowouts by the time it’s actually built?
Given this Government’s
track record when it comes to delivering projects, there are serious doubts
that it will be finished in time for the 2025 school year.
The Liberals haven’t opened a new school during their time in government and if they weren’t so incompetent, the people of Brighton and the Tasmanian taxpayers would be far better off.
Josh Willie MLC
Shadow Minister for Education & Early Years
