Limited school and hospital upgrades to restart ahead of scheduled end to SA’s lockdown

Boots and hard-hats will be back on dozens of construction sites from Monday but not everyone is happy. See the projects.

Norwood Morialta is undergoing a $52m revamp to take in Year 7 students from next year. Picture: Swanbury Penglase Architects

The state government has been accused of picking winners after it was announced construction work on dozens of taxpayer funded projects will restart ahead of the lockdown deadline.

Premier Steven Marshall’s office this morning advised emergency directions issued overnight would allow a limited number of targeted essential state infrastructure projects to restart on Monday.

Among identified projects are upgrades to 21 public schools, the expansion of the Flinders Medical Centre’s emergency department, the new Emergency Services headquarters at Keswick and regional and metropolitan road upgrades.

Essential maintenance of the rail network would also continue, according to an email sent from Mr Marshall’s office to building industry heavyweights this morning.

But private residential and commercial buildings sites – and many other publicly-funded projects – will remain closed until the end of the seven-day lockdown put in place on Tuesday.

“The immediate progress of these targeted projects will ensure essential services can be delivered to the SA community as promised,” a copy of the email, obtained by The Advertiser, says.

Property Council SA chief executive Daniel Gannon said it was a “great outcome” for the sector.

“This means some hard hats and steel caps will return to construction sites across South Australia and breathe life back into this important part of the state’s economy,” he said.

“There will be many builders, tradies and subcontractors heading into the weekend with more work and financial certainty than yesterday, and that is heartening.

“While not everyone will be pleased, it is important during these times to prioritise industries that have a material impact on the economy based on health advice.”

Mr Marshall said yesterday that the construction sector was one of the first industries he wanted “up and running”.

Mr Gannon said the announcement would enable SA to rebound out of the pandemic.

“The construction return will be staged, which is why as an industry we need to invest in these early phases to ensure the industry remains safe and can open-up section by section,” he said.

But the Master Builders SA has criticised the government for ignoring private sector work.

“This is a government that claims it doesn’t pick winners, but that appears to be exactly what they have done,” MBASA chief executive Will Frogley said.

“There’s no reason why all building and construction can’t open on Monday. It’s got to be all or nothing. Sites need to be able to rely on a moving supply chain.

“There has been a lack of consultation from the Marshall Government and the rationale behind why some projects have made the cut, and others haven’t, is unclear.”

Work will recommence on Unley High’s $32 million expansion under directions issued today. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Urban Development Institute of SA chief executive Pat Gerace, whose group lobbies on behalf of developers, also questioned why all construction work could not restart.

“If these (selected) projects are able to continue in a Covid safe way why are these guidelines not able to be applied to other major projects where whole livelihoods are at risk,” he said.

Mr Marshall told a press conference today that he was not personally involved in the selection of the projects.

State emergency co-ordinator Grant Stevens said the projects were chosen in consultation with the Premier’s Department, Infrastructure and Transport Department, SA Police and SA Health to “ensure critical projects can continue because there is a broader risk if they don't continue”.

Opposition education spokesman Blair Boyer said there was no reason private projects worth “billions of dollars and thousands of jobs” remained locked down.

“This decision was only taken because the government falling behind on delivering school upgrades for the start of Year 7 in high school next year,” he said.

The government is upgrading dozens of schools in preparation of the transition of Year 7 students to high schools from Term 1, 2022.

About 30,000 students will enter Year 7, joining a similar number going into secondary school for Year 8 when term start on January 31.

The Advertiser revealed in April that work on many schools under the government’s $1.3bn schools upgrade were running behind schedule.