Documents reveal $1.16m wages bill for Macquarie Point Development Corporation
Right to Information documents have revealed just how much the Macquarie Point Development Corporation is spending on staff.
Business
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MACQUARIE Point Development Corporation staff earned on average more than $100,000 each in the past financial year amid criticism of a lack of progress at the site.
The Tourism Industry Council Tasmania and Labor have recently queried progress on the long-awaited 9ha waterfront precinct.
Documents released to the Mercury under Right to Information laws this week reveal $1.16 million was spent on corporation employee wages for the financial year to the end of May.
The number of staff during that period varied from 10 to 11, making the average wage between $116,200 and $105,636 for the 11 months.
Opposition infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne questioned the use of taxpayers’ funds.
“That’s an extraordinary amount of money for an output which is hard to discern,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“This is getting beyond a joke now.”
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RTI documents also showed the corporation spent more than $3.3 million on external consultations for a range of projects, the main one being a contract awarded to AECOM for environmental remediation at the site.
Since 2016, the firm had been given more than $1.5 million for their work, which also includes sampling analysis and assessment.
Macquarie Point Development Corporation chief executive Mary Massina said that company’s work is likely to continue until the end of next year.
“A development of this scale requires the proper and necessary preparatory work, along with the provision of essential infrastructure services,” Ms Massina said.
“This may appear tedious for the community, but it is the critical preparation and infrastructure needed for Mac Point’s long-term success.”
The Federal Government gave $45 million in June 2012 to redevelop the site.
Ms Massina is in charge of the redevelopment of the vacant waterfront land, worth a potential $1 billion.
She took over the role, which attracts a total salary package of approximately $280,000, from Elizabeth Jack in January 2017 before her permanent appointment in July that year.
Other payments to consultants have included $182,000 to Mona for its master planning design services in 2016-17, $176,000 to local building surveyors Pitt and Sherry for an infrastructure design review in 2018-19 and $130,000 to Shane Mann and Associates for architectural design services for the Goods Shed redevelopment in 2018-19.
The corporation receives income from assets on the site such as the large car park and from current tenants.
The chief executive officer’s diary, also released under Right to Information laws, showed a total of 582 appointments in the 11 months to the end of May this year.
The appointments were categorised as either a meeting, forum, event, media, presentation, workshop and one conference.
Most meetings were categorised as being with corporation staff and “stakeholders,” with the vast majority being held at the corporation’s office.
The only time the CEO left Hobart was to attend and speak at a conference in Darwin in September last year.
There were 23 appointments with the State Government in the period and none with the Federal Government.
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