14 August 2007

Spend $50mil, then decide you don't want it.

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The CT is carrying this item informing us that the AFP has changed their mind about moving into the soon to be finished refurbished Anzac Park West building because it will no longer house all the expected staff since AFP numbers have “more than doubled from 690” since the project began. $50 million has already been spent on the project with a $20 mil to be spent to finish it off, which contractors St Hilliers Contracting seem to be in the process of doing despite the AFP’s change of mind.

According to the CT article the “Department of Finance and Administration (is) considering whether to sell the building and its twin, Anzac Park East, to recoup some of the renovation costs.”

Is it really that important for all the various AFP areas to be housed in the one spot and if a new headquarters is to be built somewhere like Majura how much are we expecting that to cost?

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VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt10:02 am 15 Aug 07

I think people may not realise just desperate office space is in Canberra at the moment. About the only thing more needful is data centre space.

Good point GF,perhaps then the AFP moving into a super complex out at Majura would provide the hurry up to the ACT Gov to improve that bloody awful Majura road!

Growling Ferret9:29 am 15 Aug 07

With the current shortage of A Grade office space in Canberra, I’m sure another Department has already put their hand up for the space. It won’t go to waste…

As for the AFP, Majura is a good idea – although any large increase in traffic will necessitate the widening of the road to dual lanes in each direction.

having bits of a department spread all over the countryside is really annoying. The “main” bit tends to become the influential bit (where the executive is), and the hived off bits kind-of keep to themselves. Chimneystacking, loss of easy access and discourse…. having all of an organisation together is of massive benefit.

They should build out at Majura. Heaps of space, but nice and close to everything. Maybe that nice Mr Snow will offer to do something for them, he might have some spare machines and buildery men pretty soon.

ahhhh…. East West what’s the difference.

I meant APE was no longer available.

A little background.

About 5 years ago the AFP sold the Police College at Barton and the Weston Police Services Complex (to rent them fo 8 years before moving out)

Anzac Park East, Anzac Park West and the Majura Complex’s were to replace these two premises and the current AFP Headquarters, plus the offices in about 4 other places scattered around Civic, Deakin and Barton.

Recently it Anzac Park West was no longer available to the AFP (unknown reason) so instead of moving without solving the problem they decided that to move half the organisation was a waste of time. (Perhaps a ploy to get both buildings afterall at the very least to find a premises big enough for the lot)

I am talking AFP national here so don’t get confused about ACTPOL premises changing.

Ruby Wednesday6:54 pm 14 Aug 07

Surely from an operational point of view, wouldn’t it better to not have them all in once place? The danger of putting all of your eggs in one basket and so on.

Someone should get marched for this one, and for the other fiascos mentioned in the CT article. This is public money, folks, your taxes and mine.

The AFP is big, and getting bigger every time the government sees votes in security issues. Does it need to be in one building – it was never going to happen anyway, as many of its troops are out in the states and overseas. It’s impossible to achieve whatever the control aficionado who started the “under one roof” policy set out to achieve.

I have no idea whether this one is down to the Commissioner, the Justice Minister or some oversighting clown in AG’s. Just extract the lost money from the hide of the individual concerned.

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