Rail Electrification Project

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (14:39): A supplementary, sir: given the remediation work that is being done, can the minister guarantee that the work will be done in the time frame that he has outlined today?

The SPEAKER: That is hardly a supplementary question; it does not arise from the minister's answer. Be that as it may, let us just make it a new question.

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) (14:39): It is a good question from the member for Mitchell. We obviously want to make sure that we are minimising the period that the service is not available, and that of course leads to the consideration: do they have sufficient time to be able to conduct the works? I have asked the department that question. They assure me that they have developed a schedule which will enable them to conduct the works and have them complete by the end of 25 January.

They have scheduled the works to ensure that we can run a train service for New Year's Eve because it is incredibly busy in the city with all of the community activities as well as the cricket and so on that is on. They assure me that, within that work schedule that they have developed, they have a significant contingency so that if there are unanticipated amounts of inclement or otherwise preventative weather, for example, they have enough capacity within that work program that we have publicly announced to still be able to deliver the rectification works in the time frame that we have outlined.