Fed: More problems with parliament's $2 million bollards

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2007
Fed: More problems with parliament's $2 million bollards

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - The controversial $2 million security bollards at Parliament
House in Canberra need a $32,000 service to keep them operating, a committee has been
told.

The 182 bollards were installed last year to stop potential suicide bombers from reaching
the doors of parliament.

But they were plagued by more than 100 malfunctions in the first 10 months, with bollards
rising without warning, trapping cars and in one case impaling a tractor.

Since they were recommissioned late last year, there has only been one incident, a
Senate estimates committee was told today.

"Since then the malfunctions seem to have been reduced," Department of Parliamentary
Services (DPS) head Hilary Penfold told the committee.

"There haven't been all that many in the last two or three months but on the other
hand we have to recognise that it hasn't been very busy most of that period.

"So we still haven't seen how they're going to perform under pressure as a result of
that recommissioning and new maintenance."

The bollards need routine maintenance every 12 months which is expected to cost taxpayers
$32,000, departmental officer Rodney Bray told the hearing.

"In order to keep the bollards properly performing, we've agreed to pay this one-off
major maintenance activity which now needs to be done while the negotiations for the ongoing
contract are resolved," Mr Bray said.

"So we pay the $32,000 so the necessary maintenance work is carried out that needs
to be done now, and in the intervening few weeks or couple of months, DPS will finalise
the ongoing contract," Mr Bray said.

AAP mfh/sb/maur/sp

KEYWORD: BOLLARDS

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.