Once-in-a-generation Dog Fence rebuild to create up to 63 jobs
Up to 63 jobs are expected to be created through the once-in-a-generation Dog Fence rebuild.
SA Business
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Tenders have opened for the once-in-a-generation rebuild of 1600 kilometres of the dilapidated Dog Fence, which is expected to create up to 63 full-time jobs by the third year of the project.
The $25 million fence repair job will require up to 71,000 timber posts, 127,500 steel droppers and more than 7000 kilometres of wire.
Work on the fence has been jointly funded by the state and federal government, along with livestock industry funds.
Industry contribution includes an increase in the levy for each sheep sold in South Australia from 55 cents to 67 cents.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone emphasised the scope of the task ahead in rebuilding an ageing asset.
“I’m encouraging South Australian suppliers and the local construction industry to put their hand up to be involved,” he said.
“The rebuild of the Dog Fence will be tailored to suit the problems pastoralists are having in localised areas, and we’ll be working closely with the Dog Fence Rebuild Committee, four Dog Fence boards and a private fence owner on the most effective design and the priority areas, which need to be rebuilt first.”
Mr Whetstone said the fence remained the most important asset protecting the South Australian sheep industry but it had been significantly damaged over time by kangaroos, emus, feral camels and wild dogs.
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Tender applications are sought from suppliers and contractors for two elements of the work:
– supply of materials required to rebuild the Dog Fence including delivery to depots.
– a panel of fencing contractors to rebuild the Dog Fence including earthworks.
The tender will remain open for 30 days on the SA Tenders and Contracts website, and construction work to complete the project is expected to take up to five years.