The budget for the fifth lane of Hobart’s Southern Outlet has blown out by a further $32 million, ABC News reports. The State government has attributed the latest cost increase to rising construction and material prices, as well as additional design and risk contingency requirements. This brings the total estimated cost of the project, aimed at easing traffic congestion into the city, to well over its originally budgeted amount.
The project involves adding a transit lane for northbound traffic. The government states the additional funding will ensure the project’s completion, which has been criticised by opponents for its escalating costs. Work on the project has already seen the demolition of several properties to make way for the new lane.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania Corrects Record
According to ABC News, state-owned logging company Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) has informed a parliamentary committee it has been sending native forest logs to Victoria for processing. This admission corrects previous statements where the company had denied that logs from Tasmania’s public forests were being sold and processed interstate.
The company wrote to the Government Business Enterprises Scrutiny Committee to amend its previous testimony. The revelation comes after Victoria officially ended native forest logging. STT’s correction confirms that Tasmanian native timber is now being supplied to Victorian sawmills. The news has drawn criticism from environmental groups who are calling for an end to native forest logging in Tasmania.