Rail Electrification Project

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): A supplementary question: will the provider of the cable be meeting the costs of providing the substitute transport that the minister outlined to the house today?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning, Minister Assisting the Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:35): I outlined to the house earlier that the rectification works, the substitute transport services, the communications required to get the message out about what is going on, why, and the availability of the substitute transport services, will not be the responsibility of government. Government will not be meeting those costs. That is the first point.

As to who does meet those costs, that is a matter for the major contractor with whom the government has contracted to provide these works. Should they seek to recover those costs from the supplier, that is a matter for them.