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Canberra Today 27°/28° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

‘Shocked’ Coe calls for Icon Water agreement

Alistair Coe

THE ACT Opposition has written to Icon Water requesting that it publicly release the two service agreements in place with ActewAGL, say leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe. 

Mr Coe made the request following the news that Icon Water gave a contract worth about $300 million without a tender process or expressions of interest.

“Rather than use the government’s own in-house Shared Services provider, Icon Water have given an extraordinary 11 year contract worth $27 million a year to ActewAGL,” Mr Coe says.

“Given Icon Water is an instrument of the ACT government and therefore held in public ownership, it should be a transparent entity that operates with integrity and accountability.

“My colleagues and I were shocked to hear that Icon Water has entered into an agreement worth around $300 million without a tender or expression of interest for a service it could have received in-house.

Mr Coe has also requested that Icon Water establish a public process for future contracts, especially when the current shared services contract expires.

“There is a disturbing trend within the ACT government to bypass official procedures and orchestrate multi-million dollar deals without transparency and accountability,” Mr Coe says. 

“Whatever the Barr government might think, ACT taxpayers and customers have a right to see the details of these agreements and others like it.”

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Ian Meikle, editor

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