BUDGET blowouts on public works projects in southeast Queensland have become so common, politicians brag when one is completed on time and on budget.

Since 2000, nine city and state projects have blown out by an estimated $400 million over projections, raising concerns about whether the public is getting value for money.

In Queensland, it’s hard to tell. Unlike other states and the Commonwealth, performance audits aren’t conducted to reveal the causes of overruns, and give public officials a benchmark for future projects. Even getting access to all records of ballooned projects is difficult as government officials hide behind loopholes in Freedom of Information laws.

Paul Clauson, executive director of the Infrastructure Association of Queensland, said he wouldn’t be surprised if 80 per cent of the major public projects completed in southeast Queensland during the past six years were over time and over budget.

Dick Wharton, past president of Engineers Australia, Queensland, doesn’t think governments should be able to shield records on controversial projects, using such devices as Cabinet confidentiality or commercial privacy.

With the exception of court-sealed documents, it should all be open, he said.

“The public is entitled to know – it’s their bloody money,” he said. “Once the project is complete, all the costs that ensued should be available.”