PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (14:37): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer provide an update to the house of the progress of the government's public-private partnership projects for the new schools and new prisons and secure facilities?

Mr Williams: What about the briefing you offered?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (14:37): You can have it whenever you want it; I have already said that.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have told my public servants you can be briefed any time you like.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You can have it this week.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams: Is that a promise?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Absolutely.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I don't know what the problem is. I have offered it to him, and I approved it last week.

Mr Williams: My office was told today that it couldn't happen this week.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, maybe the Under Treasurer has other things on this week; I don't know.

Mr Williams: You just promised they could.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am enjoying this conversation, but perhaps if the Treasurer can just turn to the question that has been asked by the member for Morialta; and if the member for MacKillop can become silent.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have encouraged my Treasury officers to brief the opposition on fundamental details of budget finance and PPPs, because at least if I am debating them I would like them to be knowledgeable and therefore, hopefully, engage in a better quality debate than what we have had to date.

Expressions of interest (EOIs) for our schools and prisons PPPs were released to the market in December 2007, with a closing date of 25 January and 30 January 2008, respectively. Members would be aware that the schools project included the design, construction and maintenance of six new super schools in the metropolitan area. The new prisons and secure facilities project is for the design, construction and maintenance of a new men's prison, a new women's prison, a new youth detention centre, a new secure mental health facility, and a pre-release centre.

The government has had an outstanding response from the market in the expressions of interest process, and I would like to outline to the house who has responded. Six bids were received for the schools project and three bids for the secure facilities project.

The consortia which have formed for the schools projects are, and I can advise the house and the public:

Axiom Education SA, comprising ABN Amro, Abigroup, and United Group Services;

Learn Space SA, comprising Macquarie Capital, Candetti Constructions, Schiavello and Resolve Facilities Management;

Learning Works Partnership, comprising Bilfinger Berger, ANZ, a consortium of builders, and the Tungsten Group;

Pinnacle Education SA, comprising Babcock and Brown, Hansen and Yuncken, and Spotless;

Plenary Education, comprising the Plenary Group, which was the group that has built our courts and prisons most recently in South Australia, together with Built Environs and Badge Constructions, and Scolarest; and

Transfield Service Community Partnerships, comprising Transfield Services and the Hindmarsh Group.

The consortia that have formed for the new prisons and secure facilities project are:

Secure Australian Facilities Environment, comprising Westpac, Thiess, Resolve Facilities Management, Eurest, GSL and Sielox;

Secure Partnerships SA, comprising Babcock & Brown, Multiplex, Hansen Yuncken, Transfield Services and IPP Consulting; and

Torrens Corrections Partnership, comprising ABN Amro, Bilfinger Berger, Baulderstone Hornibrook, Sarah Group, United Group, Serco and Webb.

This is a very impressive list of companies that have responded to the government's second and third major PPP projects in the schools and our secure facilities following on from the successfully completed police stations and courts projects. What we have here are some of the largest and most successful financiers, construction groups and facilities management companies involved in PPPs not only here in Australia but also worldwide.

The EOI responses will be evaluated over the course of the next month. An EOI evaluation panel for each project will be responsible for reviewing the recommendations of the agency evaluation teams and will recommend a shortlist to the government. The government will announce these shortlisted consortia, and ask them to submit detailed proposals in a formal request for proposal process, which is the next stage of the procurement process. I intend to keep the house fully informed of each of the critical steps along the path to rebuilding the state's educational infrastructure, our secure facilities infrastructure and, as we have indicated, hospitals and desalination plants are to follow.