Opposition calls on Premier to commission report on building and civil construction after Auditor-General Andrew Blaskett identified issues

The Premier is facing calls to commission a report on building and civil construction productivity after SA’s spending watchdog identified several issues.

Premier Peter Malinauskas is facing calls to commission a report on building and civil construction productivity after South Australia’s spending watchdog identified issues with government contracts, payroll, procurement and asset management.
Auditor-General Andrew Blaskett found that contracts had been signed after services commenced, records were missing or incomplete, contracts were missing clear value specifications and conflict of interest and confidentiality agreements were left incomplete.

In a report, tabled in parliament, he said the Department of Infrastructure and Transport had repeatedly delayed providing audit information and subcontractors were charging rates higher than the trade ceiling.

Opposition infrastructure and transport spokesman Ben Hood said the findings were cause for concern.

Opposition infrastructure and transport spokesman Ben Hood. Photo: Naomi Jellicoe

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“The future of South Australia’s major projects lays in the hands of a Minister who is failing to comply with basic contract controls and procurement requirements,” he said.

“These are not minor errors — they reveal significant lapses in oversight that put billions of dollars of public money at risk.

“The Auditor General has highlighted the risks around critical projects such as the Torrens to Darlington (T2D) tunnel, Northern Water infrastructure, and the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”

Mr Hood said, without proper oversight, such projects were likely to run over time and over budget “at a significant cost to South Australians”.

But Mr Koutsantonis said Mr Hood’s concerns were “a complete own-goal by a desperate opposition”.

“They are complaining about the government having to clean up the mess they left us when the former Liberal government, in its brief era of error, outsourced a raft of maintenance contracts,” he said.

“I have complete confidence that my department is working appropriately to sort through the mess we’ve been left by the privatisation zeal of Ben Hood and his colleagues.”

Mr Koutsantonis said Mr Blaskett did not have any specific concerns about the government’s capacity to deliver major infrastructure projects within existing budgets, and he has not identified any particular risks.

“(Mr Blaskett) is correct to suggest that appropriate oversight is warranted for nation-leading major projects of this magnitude, which is why South Australians should be reassured that Labor is overseeing their delivery – rather than the Liberal administration that underscoped and undercosted the North South corridor and outsourced maintenance contracts leaving a legacy of underperformance,” he said.