Construction industry celebrates job certainty of northern prison

The northern prison will deliver “much-needed certainty to the long-term construction pipeline”, an industry lobby group says. See how many jobs the project will support >>

Premier Peter Gutwein announces the Government's new intended site for a Northern Regional Prison development. Picture: PATRICK GEE

TASMANIA’S construction industry has welcomed “certainty” and progress provided by the government’s commitment to a site for the new Northern Regional Prison.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the “investment” was “very important in terms of the rebuild of the state and the construction jobs”.

“The project will deliver more than 1000 jobs as a result of both the construction phase and then the ongoing employment,” he said.

“It will provide a boost of more than $500 million into our economy and it’s an important project that we need to get on with.”

RELATED: Government abandons Westbury as preferred northern prison site

Northern Regional Prison. Satellite map Crown and central site. Supplied

Master Builders Tasmania executive director Matthew Pollock said the government’s commitment to start building the prison on Crown land 5.2km from Westbury by 2022 had provided “much-needed certainty to the long-term construction pipeline”.

“This project will support over 700 direct jobs in the industry, and stimulus to the community during construction,” he said.

“COVID-19 has decimated the major projects pipeline, so announcements like this provide some much-needed longer-term certainty for contractors.

“With several private projects postponed in the last few months, major public projects like [the prison] will save jobs and help provide long-term certainty for the dozens of businesses which a project of this size will support.”

Master Builders has urged the government to bring forward all planned public construction projects to “drive the construction-led recovery strategy”.

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Property Council of Tasmania also welcomed a “resolution to the northern prison promise”.

Executive director Brian Whitman said the $270 million infrastructure project was “critical for Tasmanian jobs”.

“Several Tasmanian firms have significant expertise in prison construction after redeveloping the Risdon facility,” he said.

“They now look forward to the release of tender documents for the northern prison.

“The opportunity to tender in a potentially compressed market is essential for local businesses who are desperate to lock in work as soon as possible.”