The Budget's $20m CBD puzzle

By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
There is a bit of smoke and mirrors in the Budget which raises the uneasy suspicion there may be more.
 
$20m has been identified as an expenditure for “development and revitalising infrastructure” of the Alice Springs CBD in the 2017/18 Budget.
 
Apart from the Alice town centre not having been “vital” for a long time, so it’s not a revitalisation, and that there is convincing evidence that infrastructure isn’t the problem but its use, the money aspect is a puzzle.
 
Mayor Damien Ryan, in the Budget lock-up yesterday morning, before Nicole Manison had even risen to give her Budget speech, discovered this in Budget Paper No 4: “$10m to commence works on the $120m City Deals project for the development and revitalising of infrastructure in the Darwin and Alice Springs CBDs.”
 
Conscious that Chief Minister Michael Gunner had announced a split-up of $100m for Darwin and $20m for Alice Springs, the Alice Springs News Online  sought an explanation from the Treasurer’s media advisor.
 
As it turns out, Alice will not be getting $20m for the above mentioned purposes in the 2017/18 year, and when – if at all – is not even clear.
 
The advisor said this: “$10 million in cash will commence these projects this year, with the balance to be expended once the projects and design works have been finalised.”
 
As that was inconclusive, we asked: “Please advise how much Darwin and Alice, respectively, will be getting in 2017/18 under the City Deals.”
 
No answer.
 
Putting two and two together leads to the conclusion that the expenditure in Alice may be less than $2m, not even one one-tenth of the $20m. It could even mean we get nothing this financial year, if “projects and design works” aren’t finalised – to the expectation of the government, presumably.
 
The $20m apportioned by Mr Gunner to Alice is 16.6% of the $120m City Deals project which clearly is extending beyond 2017/18. How much longer is not certain.
 
If Mr Gunner splits up the $10m for 2017/18 along the same ratio, we’ll be getting $1.7m.
 
Mayor Ryan said he would raise bringing forward the allocation with Mr Gunner.
PHOTO: The Mall when it’s buzzing.
 
UPDATE 2:30pm
 
We have received the following update from the Treasurer’s media advisor:
 
$20m will be spent on revitalising Alice’s CBD over the next four years, and $100m for Darwin.
 
In 2017-18, $10 million has been allocated to identify and commence the projects, from the $20m and $100m buckets for Alice and Darwin respectively.
 
Alice Springs will receive a $20 million upgrade to its CBD.
 
Additionally, we are working with the Commonwealth Government on their City Deals to secure more funding for both Alice Springs and Darwin CBDs.