The Boat Works to increase capacity at Coomera River yard
A Gold Coast superyacht yard is fast-tracking upgrades to its $100 million development in order to meet soaring demand. FULL DETAILS >>>
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A GOLD Coast superyacht yard is fast-tracking upgrades to its $100 million development because of demand.
The Boat Works will increase capacity to its 55-acre facility as it embarks on Stage 4.
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General manager Shane Subichin said the new timeline was a case of supply and demand, as The Boat Works lifted up to 50 vessels out of the water each week and took bookings months in advance.
“All our hardstand areas and sheds are occupied, so we need more sheds to accommodate the influx,” he said.
“We have commenced work on Stage 4 ahead of schedule to be ready for the return of the superyacht fleet and motor yachts heading back south after winter cruising in The Whitsundays.”
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The recently completed third stage provided a new services hub for marine professionals and boosted the overall tenancy to more than 80 businesses.
The latest upgrade to the Coomera River shipyard will add more refit sheds and controlled working environments.
AIMEX-Superyacht CEO David Good toured The Boat Works while on the Gold Coast for the weekend’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.
“It’s one thing to build infrastructure, but it’s incredible to see how many people are employed by every one of these big boats in every shed,” Mr Good said.
“There were up to 20 people working on every boat, from tradespeople and deliveries to various marine professionals. These are all individual businesses not big corporations.”
COAST JOBS SHOCK: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SOARS BY 32%
NEW data shows the Gold Coast is facing worse unemployment than during the global financial crisis, forcing the council to explore industries other than tourism and construction.
The city’s employment focus is to switch from the Glitter Strip to out west and north at the industrial estates and marine precincts, along with further upgrades of HOTA.
The Build Queensland series can reveal the council and several universities are number-crunching data to find the best “land employment” locations. In the meantime, Mayor Tom Tate is calling on the state government to fast forward the Coomera Connector and the federal government to offer tenancies in council’s planned Southport legal tower.
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Latest research from the Queensland Treasury shows almost 26,000 people across the Coast are without work, significantly higher than the jobless rate during the global financial crisis.
At least 25,800 Gold Coasters are unemployed, a jump of 32.2 per cent or 6300 people in a single year since March 2020. The unemployment rate is 7.2 per cent, up from 5.5 per cent, meaning the Gold Coast has the eighth highest unemployment rate among the state’s 19 statistical recording areas.
Unemployment in 2008-2009 – during the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression – was 4.9 per cent.
Cr Tate, buoyed by the opening of the HOTA gallery, said: “I’d want to see the federal government come on board with our arts and cultural precinct and contribute significant funding for one of our next stages.
“The precinct has various stages to go and while I can’t be specific about what is planned for HOTA, I’d be keen for our Gold Coast-based federal MPs to take that message to Canberra.
“There is a huge opportunity for the federal government to partner with us and establish legacy community facilities at HOTA.”
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Mayor Tate predicts a successful 2032 Olympics for the SEQ corner could deliver jobs and critical “community infrastructure’’.
“Everyone knows that the Olympics is about sport but Gold Coasters will want it to be about maximising the nation-building infrastructure in our corner of SEQ,” he said.
“Aside from federal legacy investment in our HOTA precinct, we would want to see the M2 Coomera Connector built well in advance of 2032. It needs to be six lanes through to the Logan Motorway overpass.
“We would want to see Stage 4 of light rail all the way to Coolangatta and the airport. After the Broadbeach-Burleigh stage is done, I’d want to see Stage 4 down as one contract.
“I also will push for facilities that better link our city — green pedestrian bridges and improved jetties in the northern stretches of the Broadwater for our water ferry service.
“I’d be delighted to see the state and federal governments partner on these jetties, as part of the broader Olympic legacy assets.”
Cr Tate said the Southport CBD had a Priority Development Area overlay that ensured a minimum of red tape stopping projects.
“The state and federal governments could make a huge difference by signing head-lease agreements for a Southport legal tower. That would supercharge the CBD and boost jobs as well as the CBD’s appeal for follow-on investments. No one is asking the state or federal governments to build the towers — just sign on as head tenants.
“The private sector would immediately respond if they had head-lease agreements. This would be a jobs bonanza for Southport.”
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The Productive Gold Coast Progress Update report by city officers identifies Southport, Robina, Broadbeach and Coomera as “the main business areas of the city” and aims to investigate potential future “employment land”.
An options and issues paper is being completed after the Queensland University of Technology and Bond and Griffith universities collected data in the following key areas:
● 11 industrial precincts outside the Ormeau-Yatala-Stapylton precinct, for which a high investigation report has been completed.
● The waterfront and marine industry zones, including land at Coomera, Steiglitz, Hope Island, Paradise Point, Hollywell and Main Beach.
● 40 co-work spaces which encourages remote work.
● Home-based workers. Interviews with 887 respondents found they were using local parks, shops and cafes.
Council was reviewing its procurement policy to see if there were any further opportunities to boost the Buy-Local weighting system which favours local businesses.
“We already have criteria that favours local businesses but we can always look to do better,” Cr Tate said.
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