Global construction company Multiplex picked to build Pinkenba Covid-19 quarantine camp

The Covid-19 quarantine camp in Brisbane will be built by global construction company Multiplex, with drilling rigs already on site.

The Covid-19 quarantine camp in Brisbane will be built by global construction company Multiplex, with drilling rigs already on site according to the Federal Government.

Federal Finance Minister Simon Birmingham used the announcement to take a swipe at the State Government, saying the Pinkenba hub, unlike the planned Toowoomba facility, was “appropriately close” to necessary facilities.

Multiplex will also build the Commonwealth-funded facilities in Victoria and Western Australia, a move the federal government said would help streamline all three projects and allow work to progress faster.

The company will “engage several modular construction companies” so that building the structures can happen in parallel to on-site works before being installed.

Site of the Federal Government’s preferred facility at Brisbane’s Pinkenba

Mr Birmingham said the Government hoped the first 500 beds of the 1000-bed facility will be ready for use within the first three months of 2022.

“Unlike state proposals, the Pinkenba site is appropriately close to Brisbane International Airport and all necessary medical facilities, including three major hospitals,” he said.

“We’re getting on with the job of delivering this quarantine facility for Queenslanders.

“Whilst it will be used for any ongoing quarantine requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also be there in the years to come to support responses to natural disasters or other crises.”

The hub at Pinkenba will be built on Commonwealth-owned land whereas the Toowoomba quarantine hub will be built on private land and the facility rented out to the Queensland government.

The quarantine hub will be designed as self-contained cabins able to house families with young children together, and will be set up so mild Covid-19 cases can be cared for on-site.

How much the project will cost remains unknown, with the decision to build on a known flood plain and the need to mitigate against noise likely to raise the price tag.