Govt knew about ESA HQ problems

The warnings came three years before the ACT Auditor-General found the Government's management of the project had resulted in ''significantly increased costs'' - from $11.6million to a total project cost of $75.3million - and the process was ''not supported by any detailed analysis of operational requirements or financial implications''.

But the Government said last night that the concerns raised were about existing structures within the Fairbairn precinct and it later changed its agreement with the Capital Airport Group to build new structures based on the Emergency Services Agency's design specifications and addressed the concerns.

A government spokesman also said the advice couldn't be accepted because the Government had already signed a contract with the airport group.

In 2006, then Justice and Community Services chief executive Renee Leon wrote repeated ministerial briefings for Police and Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell expressing serious concerns about the Government's plan to move its ESA HQ to the former RAAF base at Fairbairn.

The internal documents show the Government had, in 2004, intended to build its new ESA headquarters in Hume, near the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

That decision had been based on a feasibility study. But the documents show that, about the same time, the ESA also began negotiating with Capital Airport Group, which owns Canberra Airport.

Capital Airport Group made ''an unsolicited offer'' for the ESA headquarters to be located across nine buildings at Fairbairn.

Ms Leon said the choice to move to Fairbairn ''would appear to have been based on the availability of buildings rather than on identifying the needs of the ESA''.

''Of note is the fact that the building identified as being for the ESA workshop falls so far short of what is actually required that it calls into question whether the Capital Airport Group appreciates or understands the purpose for leasing the premises,'' she wrote.

''The doors of the building are too narrow for large vehicles, the ceiling is too low, the concrete slab is too weak to support large jacks and large vehicles and it does not contain a pit for mechanics.

''In addition the 'hard stand' area surrounding the building is half the size of what is actually needed for the number of vehicles undergoing maintenance at any one time.''

An airport spokeswoman told The Canberra Times last night that those issues had been ''addressed and ameliorated''.

Ms Leon wrote that in September 2006 an architectural consulting company commissioned by the Government to examine the project found Fairbairn was ''not necessarily'' the best place for the new headquarters.

In a later briefing, the Government was advised, ''the total order of costs estimated for the scope of work outlined in this study is in the order to [sic] $22.0million while the capital budget provided by the Government for this project is $7.3million.''

The plans were later changed, and the total project cost went up to $75.3million, the Auditor-General's report showed.

Opposition emergency services spokesman Brendan Smyth, who had sought the documents under freedom of information laws since January, said they showed the project had never been properly planned, and the cost-benefit ratio was ''substantially negative''.

The Government identified 303 pages pertaining to Mr Smyth's request; they released 102 in full, partially released 33 and refused access to 168 documents.

''Having waited nine months for this FoI, only a third of it has been released in full, and it's impossible to know the full picture because of the sheer volume of information that's been held back.''

The ESA headquarters have been plagued with problems, including flash flooding forcing triple-zero staff in December to work from the old Curtin headquarters.

A spokesman for Mr Corbell said all ESA staff except triple-zero personnel continued to operate at Fairbairn, and the headquarters were fully operational.