Builders get back on job sites

Builders get back on job sites

After a pause in operations during the South Australian COVID-19 lockdown, parts of the state’s construction industry were allowed to return to work on Monday, with the remainder yesterday.

Select government projects, none of which were being built in the South East, described as “critical infrastructure” projects, were greenlit to restart two days before lockdown lifted. But a significant portion of construction projects across the state were required to wait out the COVID lockdown, notably private building projects alongside many other public ones.

Among the projects in the Limestone Coast to be state and federally funded is the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, a build with a cost of at least $57.3m, and the at least $6m state-funded facility upgrade of Mount Gambier High School. Neither of these projects were among those listed to restart early.

The nearly industry-wide halt was based on evidence of the spread of coronavirus cases on constructions sites in NSW, a state plunged into a lockdown with regular case numbers in the 100s. But the early restart of certain state government projects and not others was questioned by industry, which accused the Marshall government of not having any “obvious objective criteria” for its selections.

A letter on the matter was sent to Premier Steven Marshall from the Housing Industry Association, Master Builders SA, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, the National Electrical and Communications Association, Master Plumbers SA, and the Australian Subcontractors Association.

“We were pleased to see the announcement that State Government has considered and is prepared to allow the resumption of construction activities within South Australia in a COVID safe way,” the group of six, representing the 70,000 South Australians directly employed in building and construction, wrote. “On behalf of our respective members, we were however concerned about the lack of consultation and the selection of a small number of construction projects being able to commence from Monday.

“From the information provided, it states that ‘targeted projects will ensure essential services can be delivered to the SA community as promised’, and the state emergency coordinator has indicated there is ‘a broader risk if they do not continue’. “There are however no obvious objective criteria the government is using to determine this. “Unfortunately, this adds to the angst and significant impact that a six-hour notice period to shut down the entire sector has already had and on our members.

“They have asked us to register their concerns in the absence of consultation and exclusion of private sector projects for consideration. “As the lockdown continues South Australian firms, particularly SMEs, livelihoods remain at risk and unlike Government, they simply do not have the capacity to absorb these delays. “This is in addition to the massive supply chain issues, shortages of labour and material and price rises also faced that impact on cash flow and businesses sustainability.”

Separate from the industry letter sent to Mr Marshall, Master Builders SA has also called for the government to work with industry to create a COVID safe return to work for the entire building and construction industry, including the supply chain, based on the Victorian model.

“The private building and construction industry makes up a majority of the work in South Australia and it is important that all of the sector is safely opened,” Master Builders SA said. Victorian COVID-19 protocols that were developed by the building and construction industry have been credited with keeping Victoria’s construction industry open during the state’s second wave.

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