Tasmania Report - September 2010

We have now moved into our new office and with most moves it came with minor problems. We have now sorted these out and are fully functional. Our new office is located at 1st Floor, 176 Macquarie Street, Hobart, 03 6223 6737, fax: 03 6224 4907, mail: PO Box 443, Moonah 7009. Both I and Kayla-Bree look forward to seeing you there into the future.

The move to our new location is part of our strategic plan and we can now consider other items from the plan as we grow the Civil Contractors Federation business for our members and industry alike.
Infrastructure funding
Have all states and territories received infrastructure promises that will provide consistent works and keep our workers employed? Most definitely not, because in my opinion Tasmania is missing out.
Yes, we have significant federally funded projects on the go right now - about $400m worth - but this is only keeping a small portion of our industry in work. We need a much broader range of big and small projects across the state. They would keep the civil industry and all companies that complete this work, moving in the right direction, allow for training and development of their workers and provide sustainability into the future.
We have been promised federal infrastructure funding for schools and our health services to ensure our children will be taught and our health services are better. We even have had promises to continue the super fast broadband roll out.
Promises have been made for special payments for apprentices and trainees for the commencement and completion of new training contracts and to assist with the purchase of tools and equipment. But where are they going to work? Infrastructure funding is required so employers can employ them.
Tasmania’s civil industry missed out with the stimulus funding although the building sector did very well with most schools now having new infrastructure completed.
Our road network here in Tasmania is suffering badly. Years of inadequate infrastructure funding with respect to maintaining our roads, is causing great concern. Pavements are reaching the end of their life cycle or have exceeded it in some cases.
Councils were given $5m dollars by the state government, just to repair pot holes after significant rains last winter. Band aids won’t work; we need some real funding allocations to ensure we can actually get to our upgraded schools and hospitals safely.
We have a national highway that has somewhat permanent hazard signs erected, warning of a rough surface for next x number of kilometres. This is mostly in the south of the state and not in a regional electorate area.
How does Tasmania get its fair share of infrastructure funding? Maybe the Labour/Green state government has the answers. But I suspect it does not with unemployment hitting record highs of 6.5%, Federal stimulus funded projects for the building industry coming to a close and private investors sitting back and wondering where Tasmania will be if we do not get some immediate infrastructure funding.