February 20, 2014
Four of the South Burnett’s flood repairs sites were put under the microscope today by members of the Australian Government Reconstruction Inspectorate.
The Inspectorate, established in February 2011 and headed by former NSW Premier John Fahey, reports directly to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
It checks that repairs the Federal Government has funded have been done in accordance with the rules and were “value for money”.
Mr Fahey said the Inspectorate met regularly. It “sampled” the 2500 projects that had been funded since the 2011 floods.
“We’ll probably do about 135 at the desktop level,” Mr Fahey said.
Other projects that had been selected at random were being inspected “on the road”.
In the South Burnett Regional Council area, the Inspectorate visited the River Road repairs completed with “Betterment Funding” from the State and Federal Governments and the South Burnett Regional Council.
Other sites inspected were gravel repairs, made after the 2011 floods, at Weens Road at Crawford and J Hunters Road at Ballogie.
The Inspectorate also visited Andersons Road at Cushnie.
Mr Fahey said the Inspectorate cast an eye over the huge Blackbutt Range reconstruction yesterday.
This project, in Somerset Shire, had raised flags when the cost blew out from $26 million to $75 million.
However, Mr Fahey said that after inspecting the project, the Inspectorate understood the engineering challenges that the project had faced.
He said the quality of the job was “exceptional” and it was a road built to last.
- Related article: Inspectors Will Check Flood Repairs
