JGA Concreting owner George Alexopolous has been winning Defence contracts for 30 years

Australian Defence Force contracts are being won by small family businesses all over the Territory. Meet one Top End businessowner reaping the rewards.

Defence jobs have been a large part of Top End business JGA Concreting’s work profile over the past three decades but the work has seriously ramped up in the past three years.

Founded in June 1975 in the wake of Cyclone Tracy, JGA Concreting has worked on hundreds of homes and businesses across Darwin and Katherine including Parliament House, SkyCity Resort, Oasis Apartments, the Sabine Road tower and Mitchell Centre.

A general slowdown in civil construction over the past few years has been offset by a ramp up in Defence work, which helped JGA to retain its staffing levels at between 30 and 45 people.

Founded by his father John, George Alexopoulos said the company’s greatest single asset was its employees and this had helped cement its relationship with builders and Defence.

JGA Concreting owner George Alexopoullos.

“I’m very grateful for the work Defence are giving us and to the builders who give us an opportunity to get the work,” George said.

“I want to thank the workforce and workers who allow us to do the jobs because without them we couldn’t do what we’re doing.”

Defence deals directly with builders such as Sitzler, Sunbuild, Halikos and McMahon Services who then out-source jobs to contractors, including JGA Concreting to do the site work.

One of JGA’s first collaborations with Defence was the officer’s mess at Robertson Barracks in the 1990s.

JGA’s other Defence sites have included RAAF Base Darwin, Tindal, Larrakeyah Barracks and Defence Establishment Berrimah.

In the 2016 federal budget then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull expanded Defence spending in the Territory, with significant works scheduled for Tindal, Larrakeyah and Defence Establishment Berrimah.

A Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft performs a flying display during the No. 75 Squadron family day at RAAF Base Tindal, near Katherine.

About half of JGA’s work is currently generated through Defence.

“Defence spending fluctuates,” George said.

“When the rest of Australia is going through a downturn, that’s when Darwin’s economy goes up, which is when workers would normally move up here for the jobs.

“That’s not happening at the moment because the rest of Australia is looking for workers and we’re having trouble filling positions here.”

George has spoken with the NT government ministers about loosening visa rules around language and for formwork carpenters and steel-fixers to be identified for immigration purposes as a skilled qualification.

“I could source skilled foreign workers who speak adequate English and are willing to move to Australia to work in our business and meet our safety requirements,” he said.

“However the written test is preventing us from taking these workers due to the complexity and difficulty of the test.

“When my parents came to Australia they did not speak a word of English, the same as thousands of previous immigrants who helped build Australia.”