03x08 - Independence Day

[bunniefuu]

MAN: We're building a strong,
prosperous Australia.

MAN: It is a massive project.

MAN: A new era of forward thinking.

MAN: True big picture stuff.

We have a national to-do list.

Major infrastructure projects.

It's an incredible
transformative opportunity.

We're spending more than any
government has ever spent.

An extraordinary figure.

- WOMAN: $ billion...
- MAN: $ billion...

- MAN: $ billion...
- $ billion...

WOMAN: This is a nation building...

- Nation building...
- WOMAN: Nation building...

- Nation building...
- Nation building...

Nation building.

MAN: If we do those
questions now, Senator,

noting I'd be very keen to try and
work through as much of outcome two,

the remainder of outcome
two, before the lunch break,

and then conclude it, as planned,
by pm, so we can move on to...

TONY: I guess it's an iterative process,

whereby the priorities of government

have to be aligned with
the realities of budget.

Sorry, Mr Woodford. If I can
go back to the question.

Yes. Which was?

Did the independent analysis
predict the likelihood of failure?

No. I mean, yes. Well, no.

It was certainly one of a
range of possible outcomes

suggested by the modelling,

which we would have taken
into account as...

as part of the, uh, the process
of... of establishing the...

- Has that answered your question?
- No.

Did it answer yours?

I think we should consider
adjourning for lunch.

- If I can just have one more go.
- He looks hungry.

Given the lack of a
credible business case,

clearly pointed out by
the Auditor General,

how could anyone have
signed off on this project

unless motivated by
short-term political gain?

Well, there was a
business case, Senator.

It was just, uh...

- Flawed?
- I'm not sure I would say flawed.

Would you prefer grossly exaggerated?

Maybe go with flawed.

JIM: Well done today.

- That was a great performance.
- It wasn't a performance.

I was giving sworn evidence
before a Senate inquiry.

The point is you did well.

Could hardly understand
what you were saying.

- Jim, that's...
- It's not easy to do, and

- we're grateful. They were tough.
- No, they weren't.

- Who knows how these things go wrong?
- I do!

You come into my office,
keep pushing back,

somehow my advice gets ignored.

Next thing we know,
we've sunk $ billion

into a barely used cross-city tunnel.

Good thing they didn't
ask about BrisLink.

Is that still on the table?

Do you still have to
give sworn evidence?

No. BrisLi...

I've already checked out.

Seriously, Jim. I've just
about had enough of this.

Tony, come on! You're
tired. Get some sleep.

- I'm heading to the airport.
- Stay the night.

I'll organise a late checkout.

- I checked out.
- Tony!

Come on, mate!

(SIGHS)

Okay, thanks again. Bye.

Nat, Rhonda rang.

Something about a ministerial
briefing document?

- Yeah, I sent it to her on Friday.
- Says she didn't get it.

That's crazy, I put it on
Steph's desk to be proofed...

BOTH: Steph's away.

- At the workshop.
- sh*t, can you call her?

- Steph?
- No, Rhonda.

Do I have to?

All right, I'll do it.

All you do is swipe it...

- (LOCK BEEPS AND CLICKS)
- and wait for the click.

Right.

- (LOCK BEEPS)
- Slower.

- (LOCK BEEPS)
- Faster?

Seriously, I thought I
was getting a lock.

- They're smart locks.
- Yeah, but with a key.

- That's just a lock.
- Meaning?

Well, if you lose that
key, you can't get in.

These also track who goes in and out.

I don't want to be under surveillance.

Let me show you.

- (LOCK BEEPS AND CLICKS)
- You just have to time it.

Okay.

- (LOCK BEEPS)
- Too long.

Seriously, not this week.

NAT: Thanks, guys.

- Nat, have you spoken to Rhonda?
- Not yet.

- She rang again.
- I said I'd get onto her.

Ash, have you locked off that
environmental impact statement?

- Give me minutes.
- Okay.

- Oh, did Rhonda get onto you?
- Ash...

Onto it.

- Nat, did Rhonda get through to you?
- No!

She just wants to touch base re Friday.

- Slower, Nat.
- Can you make a time?

Slower.

I'll let you in.

Thank you.

(DOOR RATTLES)

God...

- Hey, what's this all about?
- I'm out.

- Whoa, hold your horses!
- I'm done!

You're angry. Don't drink and text.

- I haven't been drinking.
- Actually, the hotel rang.

- You didn't fix up your minibar bill.
- Yeah, can we just...?

I come bearing exciting news.

You, my friend, have had a very big win.

This sounds familiar.

No, just received this from the PM.

"Urgent, submarine f*ck-up."

No, must have just come through.

I am gonna have to jump on that.

No, here we go.

Seriously?

He rushed it through
Cabinet this morning.

An infrastructure commission?

Keep reading.

"The NBA will be given board status
as an independent authority..."

This is what you've been calling for.

"...responsible for
assessing and approving

"all major infrastructure projects."

Hands off.

PM wants a complete overhaul,
with you at the helm.

- Has this been announced?
- Not yet.

We're just lining up the press now,
but you'll be a big part of it.

Seriously? An infrastructure commission?

I told you, no more craziness.

All right.

- Have you got a...?
- Katie?

(LOCK BEEPS AND CLICKS)

All right. So... Good work.

It's not working!

- Are you tapping or swiping?
- I'm about to start hammering.

Please, come in.

- I thought we were just touching base.
- Nothing to be concerned about.

Sit down.

(SIGHS)

Now, Natalie, Rhonda's
filled me in about Friday.

- What was Friday?
- When I didn't get my report.

Is that what this is about?!

How, in your own words, would
you describe the incident?

Well, not as an incident. I left
a folder on the wrong desk.

Well, it was the right
desk, just the wrong day.

"Wrong desk incident."

- Date today?
- th.

th. Good Lord.

I'm just a little under
the pump right now.

And who, apart from Rhonda, were
the other active participants?

- What?
- Stephanie.

- And she's...
- Project assistant.

Thank you. So, across three tiers.

I guess I would have normally
CC'd Danny, who's...

- Finance.
- And two silos.

It's broader than I feared.

Oh, dear.

Tony's been caught up
with this Senate inquiry.

I was trying to avoid bothering him.
Then Steph went to this conference.

And normally I'd know,

but because she's on secondment
I was never notified.

Then I realised and I sorted it out.

- Hmm. Am I saying this too early?
- No, you are not.

- Feels systemic to me.
- Yes, it does.

- Yeah.
- I'm sensing structural frailty.

- Thank you.
- I think you're right.

She's not. It was a one-off.

Natalie, please. We'll
get on top of this.

- That's good to know.
- JIM: So, how'd you go?

Well, I've got a couple of issues, Jim.

JIM: Can you show me the page?

Uh, yep. Hang on.

- There we go.
- Just there.

Right up...

Okay. So, we've got this year's...

Katie, this is ridiculous.

Sorry!

How come yours works?

I don't know, but Brian's on his way up.

I don't want Brian. I want my old key.

Are you taking too long?

No.

Well, keep using the brick.

- Okay.
- All right, what's the problem?

Opening paragraph. "The Commission's
focus will be long-term."

Yeah?

"To assess projects with a
to -year time frame."

I thought you'd be rapt!

to years? That
just gets us sidelined.

- I don't follow.
- We need to focus on now.

So...

- to years?
- The next three years.

You're the supremo.
I'll make a few calls.

- Anything else?
- Terms of reference.

- Yeah, I didn't get that far.
- Page two.

I've been a bit pressed for time.

"The Commission shall
have power to assess

"only those projects
directly referred to them."

Happy days.

But what if a project isn't
directly referred to us?

- Lucky you.
- No.

We're trying to help.

Otherwise you'll get snowed under
with every crazy scheme out there.

That's what we're here for,
to stop the crazy schemes.

- I wouldn't worry about it.
- That clause goes.

All right. Your commission.
You're the boss.

- Tony?
- Yeah.

A lady from that ABC
: show just rang.

Oh, I think I know what this is about.

They want to interview you.

Of course they do. Head honcho.

Me? They don't want to ask about
what happened in Canberra?

- Your minibar bill?
- No, no.

- The Senate inquiry.
- Oh, no, it's about your new commission.

And you thought we weren't serious.

- Is Thursday okay?
- Uh, yeah. Thursday's fine.

- Let's come up with another way.
- Mm.

If you need something signed off,

how would that typically be actioned?

Well, I'd speak to Tony.

So, there's no formal secondary
line of communication?

- What are you sensing?
- It feels a little top-down.

- Mm, it does.
- Where's the redundancy?

- The resilience?
- Mm, good questions.

- Great questions.
- I'm thinking we need a review.

- Of course we do.
- Of what?

Of our organisational structure.

What we're doing right,
what we're doing wrong.

- Really?
- Sweetheart, you're too close to it.

You can't see the wood for the trees.

You know what I think
might help? If I got an EA.

Like, a dedicated executive assistant.

- I wouldn't be rushing into anything.
- We're rushing into a review.

Someone's in denial.

I'd like to take this off-line
for a couple of days.

- Could you?
- Get a better feel for the problem.

Oh, saviour!

Just doing my job, Rhon.
Just doing my job.

- Date today?
- th.

Oh, could it be possible?

(DOOR LOCK BEEPS)

(BEEPS)

(BEEPS REPEATEDLY)

See, this is the genius of the key.

They can be dug out of Roman
graves and they still work.

- It should be working.
- But it's not.

I've got Brian on the phone.
What colour is the light now?

- Red.
- It's red.

And is it flashing?

Yes.

Yes.

- Slowly, or intermittently?
- Oh, seriously...

- Hmm. Intermittently.
- Intermittently.

Okay, that means, "Room
already occupied".

- That can't be right.
- Someone should be in there.

Yeah, me.

Brian says he needs to check the manual.

Then... then, get the manual.

It's on your couch.

I'll be in the pod.

Oh, here, take another brick.

Okay. Yeah.

- NAT: Tony?
- Yeah.

There was a bit of a
mix-up the other day

with a ministerial brief, and...

Can you put down the brick?

Rhonda's now concerned about
our lines of communication,

and she's spoken to Beverley, from HR.

I know who she is.

She's thinking of doing some sort of...

- Are you gonna breathe?
- Keep going.

I think she wants to come in and conduct

some sort of organisational
structure review.

Please, breathe.

- For God's sakes!
- I really need you to breathe.

(SIGHS)

They find a little grain of truth,
a weakness, and then they start.

- They're not Scientologists.
- They're worse.

At least Scientologists
make you feel good.

Another breath.

- Just keep a lid on it.
- Okay.

Oh, Tony, I just need
to check your biography

for the advisory commission.

- What was that word you just used?
- Commission?

- Before that.
- Biography.

- Did you say, "advisory"?
- That's what's written here.

- It's not an advisory commission.
- Oh.

- It's a commission.
- Oh, okay.

With your biography, I've got,

"Tony Woodford, B.Comm, MBA, WWC."

- What's WWC?
- Working with children check.

From when we had the schoolkids visit.

I don't think we need
to add that to the...

- It was on your file.
- Yeah.

Should I mention you're a blood donor?

- Probably not.
- Okay.

Oh, the ABC rang about your interview.

- Mm-hm.
- Do we have three-phase power?

I don't even know what that is.

- I'll ask Brian.
- Okay.

- Can you open the pod?
- Where's your brick?

- (KNOCKS) Got a moment?
- Yeah. Come in.

Watch the brick.

I just spoke with the PM.

How does this sound?

"The commission's mandate will
be to assess and prioritise

"current infrastructure proposals,

"with a view to... blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah."

And no pre-filtering of projects?

You get to see the lot. It's a big win.

- It's the only way to do it.
- Now, practicalities.

We probably should start talking names.

Yeah, we should. My thought
was to start small.

- Sure.
- Maybe six to eight members.

Yeah, good thinking.

I'll come up with a list of possible
names, just thought-starters.

Great. We can add 'em to our list.

- Your list?
- Just thought-starters.

- Really?
- What?!

He's a former State Transport Minister.

- Ideal.
- He's a former Federal Roads Minister.

You're gonna need people
with political nous.

I thought the point was to
depoliticise the process.

- Yeah, it's a balancing act.
- No, it's not.

- You said "hands-off".
- One hand, captain's pick.

Picks, plural. One, two,
three, four politicians.

Ex...

Three, four, five people connected
with road construction companies.

- Well, that's a wealth of experience.
- Building roads.

What about water, rail, freight, energy?

- What have you got against roads?
- Nothing.

You'll be there to keep 'em honest.

- You understand how a majority works?
- All right.

- I choose the members.
- From this list?

My list. My commission, my list.

You're the boss. We do it your way.

- Shut the door?
- No!

All right.

Well, let's try and get that
locked in by this afternoon.

- Close of business?
- Yeah, I'd prefer a little earlier.

We're not here.

Just keep going.

O... okay. Um, keep going.

I'm not sure we can get that earlier.

- Right.
- RHONDA: Got that?

Mm-hm.

Keep going, we're just observing.

Okay. Um, Scott, can you get
me the full draft agreement?

- From yesterday?
- No, the updated version.

- BEVERLEY: And again.
- RHONDA: Mm.

Keep going, Natalie. Confusion
over files is quite natural.

I'm not confused.

- I think Scott is.
- A little.

Wasn't the updated
version the full draft?

Seriously, this is not gonna work
with you guys standing there.

You're right. Come on,
Rhon, let's go in.

Watch the brick. Push up,
everyone. I'll get another chair.

- Thanks, Ash.
- Thank you, Ash.

- Hmm.
- Gosh.

Here we go.

- What's going on?
- From the ABC.

They just wanted to see where
they'll be doing your big interview.

Oh, cool. Good morning!

- This your desk?
- Yes.

Can we get it flipped around,
for a better background?

- That's your chair, yeah?
- Clearly, yeah.

Might have to swap it out.

And can we strike that computer?

Yep, you can, it's just that it's got
a cable that connects into that.

- I'm a getting beeping.
- Oh, it's our smart lock.

- It beeps when the door's left open.
- All right, we'll close that.

- Oh, no, no, no, no.
- Don't move the brick.

Sorry, we're just having trouble
with the locks at the moment.

- I'm getting a hum now.
- Um...

Might be the aircon.
I'm just gonna check.

Okay.

He said it would only be a few minutes.

It's okay. Oh, Katie, did you send a
copy of my speech to the Minister?

Mm-hm. For the launch
of the new commission?

Oh, yes. He was very
appreciative of your input.

It wasn't input, it was a speech.

Anyway, he was very appreciative.

- Of the speech?
- Mm-hm.

There's a hum. No, it's
throughout the whole building.

Can we strike that couch?

I guess. Yeah.

Or is there another space we could use?

Um...

And... recording.

Would you say there's
clarity in the room?

Not anymore.

Structural frailty.

What if there's an issue,
some area of concern?

For example, Ash, who
would you speak to?

- Alfie.
- Who's Alfie?

My brother.

Oh, I think she means issue at work.

Oh... Nat.

- And if Nat's not here?
- She's always here.

She's single again, doesn't
get out that often.

Excuse me.

But say she makes a relationship
work and it's date night?

Can we leave my private
life out of this?

When would any of you
go directly to Tony?

- They wouldn't.
- Unless you've mucked up.

Sorry?

Like, remember the port
terminal funding agreement.

- That was Patrick.
- Yeah, but you forgot to remind him...

Can we not do this now?

We've got more than enough here.

Yes, we do.

Thank you, Nat. All yours.

Carry on. Rhon, come here.

- Exciting day, El Supremo.
- Yes, yes, I said it was fine.

I just need to speak with the Minister.

- Sorry about that, I'm all yours.
- Ah, thank you, Minister.

As I was saying, I've kept your
introductory remarks pretty brief,

just how excited you are and...

I've also included some
background on the commission,

so structure and then the make up...

Hey, Jim, check that out.

Up three points!

Yeah, I knew that one was gonna land.

Law and order. Uh, sorry, keep going.

Yeah, the key thing is to
emphasise the independence...

- Oh, we're here.
- All right.

- Show time.
- Just to emphasise the independence...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Independence, independence.

- Yeah right, let's get into it.
- Here we go.

- Let's do it.
- Yep.

This new authority will
assist our government

in identifying and prioritising our
national infrastructure needs.

Whether it's an exciting new toll road,

or a much-needed cross-city tunnel,

we'll have the benefit of
informed decision-making

because that's what this new
advisory body will be all about.

The NBA Infrastructure Commission

will consult with government
at every step of the way,

guiding, assisting

and, I'm very confident,
making a valuable contribution

to shaping policy.

A real part of the broad conversation.

All right, thanks folks. That's it.
Thanks for coming out.

JIM: Great. Thanks everybody.

- Jim, can I just...
- Have a great day.

just have a quick word with you?

- Yeah.
- Just come over here.

- What the hell was that about?
- I thought it went well.

"Consult with the government"?

Cameras!

And how the hell did toll
roads get a mention?

That wasn't in the notes.

No, he probably got
spooked by all the media.

- He's a minister!
- Smiling.

- No mention of rail.
- No.

No mention of energy, essential
services, just roads.

And freeways.

Yeah, and we're back to being
an advisory commission.

Yeah, so you're happy about that?

No, I'm furious!

You've still got the word 'commission'.

- Jim!
- Yeah, I thought you'd be happy.

- Happy?!
- Yeah!

Oh. Happy...

- So...
- Yeah.

No, it's just, uh, so heavy.

Tony?

KATIE: Hang on. Find My
Phone is just refreshing.

Oh, is there anything?

Jim, he's stopped moving.

Are you near the railway line?

Yes, it's on my left.

Then keep moving forward.

- Well...
- You must be close now.

Ah! Got him.

You're right.

We need to stop hedging our bets.

I spoke to the PM while I was
looking for you and he agrees.

Really?

We're gonna back this thing %.

Independent commission, hands off.

- Binding decisions.
- Yep.

- I choose the members.
- Yep.

I set the agenda.

- Here we go again.
- Oh, come on, Tony!

Let's be grown-up about this.
We have to have some input.

- You said independent.
- You will be!

But not if I don't set the agenda.

- We can still have a mature debate.
- Oh, we can't.

- We can.
- Can't.

- Can.
- Can't.

- Can.
- Can't.

Can! Look, we'll make
this work, I promise.

WOMAN: Excuse me? Are you
going to be much longer?

Yep. Sorry, why?

Oh, my daughter would
like to use the swing.

Oh, yeah. Sure, sorry. Go ahead.

- Can't.
- Can!

- We can't!
- We can!

All right. There's one for everyone.
Take one and pass it on.

Thank you, Nat. That's great.

If you would, Rhon.

Mm-hm.

All right, I'd like to
start by thanking you all

for your cooperation and your
feedback over the past few days,

especially those that took the
time to see me individually.

Now, Rhon, if you would.

This graph reflects your current
organisational structure.

Each of the coloured lines represents
what we call the three Rs.

Roles, responsibilities,
reporting pathways.

As you can see, it is very top-down.

- Well, I see that now.
- Quite vertical.

What we hope to do is break down
these organisational silos...

Smash them.

...and replace them with a
matrix reporting structure.

- (ALL EXCLAIM)
- SCOTT: This is interesting.

Now, we'll go through your
individual roles shortly,

but there's a tool kit at
the back of your folders.

- RHONDA: Oh!
- Have a little look.

Nat, you seem concerned.

There's four, five,
six new people there.

I can handle the recruitment process.

I just need one assistant.

Oh, that's old-school
thinking, Nat. Let it go.

- Top-down.
- Exactly.

- Very vertical.
- Mm-hm.

Why don't we have a look
at the organic graph?

See?

- Did you microwave it?
- No.

- Did you get it wet?
- What?! No.

What about leave it on the dashboard?

- They don't like heat.
- I don't like them.

No, I've had it in my
wallet the whole time.

- Oh, with your other cards?
- Yes.

Oh, well, that's what you've done wrong.

Can we go back to the old system?

(DOOR LOCK BEEPS AND CLICKS)

- How come yours works?
- I don't have a wallet.

Come on in, guys.

And I keep it cool.

I just don't think it's gonna work.

You need to give it a chance.

So, people not only have to report
to me, they report sideways?

Yes.

By creating additional
pathways, our information flow

will have built-in resilience.

- Why would you not want that?
- But how...?

Simple. Our chief operating officer...

RHONDA: Nat.

...now reports to our
senior managing director...

- Stephen.
- ...and our chief financial officer.

Roberta.

...who are both overseen by
our executive office manager.

ASH: Who is?

We don't have an executive
office manager.

I see what you're saying.

We can interview one next week, but...

Sorry, why do we need an
executive office manager?

So Stephen and Roberta
have someone to report to.

But what will an executive
office manager actually do?

- Be reported to.
- It's obvious.

- Shall we move on to the next slide?
- Please.

Sorry, what's this for again?

- It's called overlay.
- MAN: Overlay.

Yeah, it's for the
voice-over at the start.

I'll just read it out, we
just need to seconds.

- Okay.
- Okay. In your own time, just walking.

No, just walking normally.

I'm walking normally.

- More normally.
- More normally. Okay.

- Okay?
- I'll leave the door open.

- Yeah, I'll just walk.
- Okay.

- Ready?
- Yep.

And the man making these big decisions

is infrastructure supremo Tony Woodford,

who will be submitting all
projects for rigorous testing.

- Just heading in.
- Trying.

(DOOR LOCK BEEPS AND CLICKS)

Okay. Let's go again.

It's... Tony...

Another take. Take two there, Tony.

- Okay.
- Walking's looking good, though.

BEVERLEY: There's another
whole level of workflow

and then it all becomes seamless.

NAT: Seamless? It just
looks overly complicated.

Sorry?

If anything, it just
seems like it's more...

Hey, hey. It's okay.

Let's walk through a typical scenario.

Ash, you've generated a file.
It needs to reach Nat.

What happens next?

No, no, no.

- I email it to Nat?
- Almost.

It becomes two files.

- Ah!
- One copy sent to Scott.

And the other to our
data workflow manager.

- I think that's me.
- Correct.

- Got it.
- Excellent.

The file is now logged as read

and that should appear
on Ash's dashboard, yes?

Enabling him to CC the admin team.

- Got it.
- SCOTT: There it is.

Great.

Well done, everyone.

- Excellent.
- NAT: Hang on.

Hang on. Sorry.

- What's your problem?
- I haven't got the file.

Ah!

Are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Workflow manager needs an assistant.

- We'll interview next week.
- Mm-hm.

Thank you, Nat.

Yep. Yep. That's much better in here.

- Can we strike that?
- I can get it striked.

No, actually, that's... I'd
just rather leave that.

It's a bit, um, bit sensitive.

Tony, I might just begin by asking,

how would you describe
this new commission?

Well, it's pretty
straightforward, Marissa.

We'll meet once a month and then we...

Oh, no, wait. The cameras
aren't rolling yet.

Oh, sorry. I've got to...
got to remember that, yeah.

- Sure.
- Sorry, sorry. Yeah.

And then I'll ask you how it works.

Well, we're gonna establish criteria...

- Sorry, again, the cameras aren't...
- Not rolling.

I know, you said it. You're
so good at this, it's just...

- Sorry, mate.
- Tony.

Are you planning on wearing
that jacket there?

Is there a problem?

I'm just getting a bit of moireing
there. Would you mind maybe...?

Yeah, no, see, now you're strobing.

What's worse?

Could we may be get him sort of
draping the jacket across...

I don't think that's
gonna look quite right.

...the shoulders?

I think we'll just stick with the shirt.

Sorry, Katie. Is it a
little hot in here?

- We've had to turn the aircon off.
- We've turned the aircon off, Tony,

- Robert was getting a background hum.
- Bit of a hum was coming over.

- Okay.
- All right, let's go for one.

- And...
- Right.

Rolling.

- Sound.
- Tony, w...

- Sorry, cameras rolling now.
- That's right.

- That's okay.
- There is a red light.

Got it. I've got you. Yeah,
so, I can answer now.

- Tony Woodford, welcome.
- Thank you, Marissa.

Tell us, how would you describe...?

Nah, see, that chair's not gonna work.

Are you getting that beeping
again? I'm getting a beeping.

- Onto it. That'll be the door.
- It's that one.

I think that's the last chair we've got.

I've got it.

NAT: Ash?

Can you grab those transformer
upgrade spreadsheets for me?

- I need the spreadsheets.
- You have to wait for Kristen.

- Where's Kristen?
- I don't know.

- What?!
- I could email Patrick.

- What's Patrick got to do with it?
- He reports to Kristen.

- Good thinking.
- Bring me those spreadsheets.

Don't tell Beverley.

AMY: I can't look.

We're crossing silos.

Structural frailties.

Red flags.

I am not responsible from here.

Jim? Jim? Just one minute.

Here he is. The infrastructure tsar.

Head honcho. It's gonna be a big night.

Who are those extra people in the foyer?

- I don't know.
- Are they here for the meeting?

- They're probably just observers.
- What?

It's a public service thing. A
bit of administrative support.

It's your first meeting.

Jim, if they say one
word in this meeting...

- Okay.
- Not a word.

We've found out who they are.

The one in the red jumper is Peter.

- Who is?
- An adviser.

- To?
- The Minister for Infrastructure.

Oh, for... And the woman?

That's Linda. She's also an adviser.

- To?
- Prime Minister.

- What does she advise on?
- Infrastructure.

They're here to learn, from you!

- The last guy?
- He wouldn't say.

Fair dinkum, Jim.

- There's three of them.
- They won't say a word.

In fact, I'll go out there
right now and I'll tell 'em.

Now, you sit down here and
start shaping the nation!

- All right, let's go.
- Okay.

Okay.

Everyone's got copies? It's
all from the first package?

- You good to go?
- Yep, yep.

Right, well, this is an
auspicious occasion.

Great honour to be chairing
such an esteemed group.

Before we start, Tony, you
want to say a few words?

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

As I've said to each of you privately,

I want to end any confusion.

We're a fully independent body.

So, it's only the people
sitting around this table

who will decide infrastructure policy
and projects, and nobody else.

Hear, hear.

We've got some big-ticket
items to consider.

Why don't we start by taking
the temperature of the room?

Good idea.

Well, in no particular order,

let's have, uh, the Darling
Downs solar power plant.

(ADVISERS HISSES)

Sorry, sorry. I thought
you were just observing.

Or perhaps we could come back to that.

- Why would we come back to that?
- Oh, no reason.

It's really a question of temperature.

Right.

Well, perhaps we should start with
the national power grid into...

- (MAN HISSES)
- Sorry, sorry. Ignore them.

- Ignore who?
- You stopped.

- Did I?
- Yeah. Yeah, they went... (HISSES)

I heard it. A... (HISSES)
And then you stopped.

Well, actually, now that I've stopped,

why don't we look at the
BrisLink Cross City Tunnel?

How do we feel about this?

Yeah.

It's an exciting project.

It certainly is.

(PHONE RINGS)

(PHONE CONTINUES RINGING)

Ash?

Can you grab the phone?

- No.
- What?

- Why?
- Line one, general enquiries.

Not within my roles
and responsibilities.

- To answer a phone?
- Crossing silos.

Answer it!

Hello.

It's Ash.

Yep.

Sure.

Who was it?

Beverley. Just wanted to see
if the new system's working.

Sorry, I couldn't get away.

- Have I missed it?
- We recorded it.

Oh, did you? Good on you.

- Was it good?
- Mm-hm.

- Great.
- Oh, great.

(ON TV) But not everyone is convinced

about this current emphasis.

Newly appointed infrastructure
tsar, Tony Woodford, from the NBA.

I'd be cautious about rushing
into any big project.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister insists

we're on the verge of
a roads revolution.

- That's it?
- Nice grab.

- Is that all they played?
- Yeah.

Can we watch Tony's bit again?

AMY: Why were you walking funny?

Oh, it was 'cause the
overlay... The... Yeah.

You hear the whispers about BrisLink?

- No.
- Tch!

- It's getting up?
- Mm-hm.

_

MAN: Mr Woodford, can
you explain the process

by which an independent commission

can sign off on a $
billion road project

without a clear business case?

Um... Actually, can I go back a year?

- I'd go back further.
- Yeah, I'll start with a year.