500 roofers in Tasmania capable of undertaking job at Royal Hobart Hospital, Labor say

“Peter Gutwein’s leaky moat” has been blamed for the importation of a worker that could have put the state’s biggest health asset at risk – and one that could have easily been found in Tasmania, according to the Opposition.

• 'No defence' for bringing a worker from interstate
• READ THE LIST: All the workers given travel exemptions

A ROOFING contractor brought from Victoria to fix the roof at Hobart’s Royal Hobart Hospital’s new K-Block was an example of “Peter Gutwein’s leaky moat”, Labor says.

Labor’s Building and Construction spokeswoman Jen Butler said her party was deeply concerned what she described as the lax protocol for bringing in workers from virus hot spots.

“We have information that three weeks ago a Victorian roofer came down to the Royal Hobart Hospital, came straight off an aeroplane and came here to fix a leaky roof,” she said.

Jen Butler, Labor’s Building and Construction spokeswoman said the roofer could have easily been found in Tasmania. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“From information we’ve received from that person they were provided with a special exemption to undertake this role.

“We know that there are at least 500 roofers here in Tasmania that could have undertaken that work.

“Not only did they use an interstate worker for a role which we could fill here in Tasmania ourselves, but they also sent that interstate worker straight to one of our most valuable health resources, the Royal Hobart Hospital.”

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Permits for essential workers to enter the state without going into quarantine are handled by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and approved by State Controller Darren Hine.

Employers are required to certify that local workers aren’t available for the task.

Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union organiser Chris Clark said “there are plenty of people in Tasmania that know how to use a silicon gun”.

“The worker that we’ve spoken to, who came to the Royal Hobart Hospital to conduct this work told us that the work wasn’t specialised. there are plenty of workers in Tasmania that could have performed these tasks.

“There is no reason why you would have to fly someone in from Victoria to do this work when we know there are hundreds of plumbers within Hobart that could have performed those tasks.

Premier Peter Gutwein defends the process.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein speaks to the media.

“In terms of the specialty skills that are required that decisions is made by the State Controller, not by members of parliament, and it’s quite rightly whether the decision should be made,” he said.

“In terms of this process, an assessment is made, it’s carried out at arm’s length from government, and then the state controller will make a decision in terms of whether it’s appropriate for that worker to be here.”

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