Boom Builds 1000 New Jobs
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday September 19, 2001
Up to 1000 new jobs will be created in the Illawarra and South Coast before Christmas through a $1.7 billion construction boom.
That's great news for an area that has had higher than average unemployment rates for many years.
``This is an era we've been looking forward to for some time," building workers union regional organiser Mick Lane said yesterday.
``Up until now there has been nothing much of any substance being built."
Boosting the job prospects and economy are a number of large State Government projects, including the $62 million Wollongong Hospital redevelopment and new sewage treatment plants at Wollongong ($150 million) and Gerringong-Gerroa ($40 million).
Other major projects in the region include a $30 million Shoalhaven Hospital redevelopment, power generation plant at the Port Kembla steelworks, City Beach 220 residential apartments and the first stage of the proposed $250 million Tullimbah Village 890 home site development at Albion Park.
Subsequent Tullimbah stages, if approved, will bring expenditure of more than $800 million over the next 10 years.
Mr Lane said the amount of construction work available meant many of his members would not have to commute ``up and down Mt Ousley" to Sydney each day to construction sites.
There now were companies, which in the past had been excluded from the Illawarra, that were abiding by proper industry standards and operating here under properly negotiated enterprise agreements.
Mr Lane said it also was hoped work would resume before the end of the year on several high-rise buildings in Market and Kembla streets, Wollongong, that were left incomplete after the financial collapse of developer Bruce Maples.
A number of Aldi supermarkets also were under construction at Fairy Meadow, Corrimal and Ulladulla.
Major Navy defence projects in the region include a $110 million redevelopment of the naval air station HMAS Albatross near Nowra and a $40 million ammunition facility at Twofold Bay, Eden.
Stage one of the HMAS Albatross project includes aircraft support, storage and maintenance facilities, an air traffic control tower, explosives ordnance storage and loading facilities.
Stage two includes new flight deck procedural trainers, a helicopter underwater escape trainer, runway arrester systems, aircraft pavements and wash systems.
Miltonbrook director Neville Fredericks said yesterday the Illawarra was ``being driven in real estate by increasing interest from Sydney buyers".
``There is a significant price differential and a spillover of buyers from Sydney," he said.
The economic climate was stable with interest rates low and inflation not causing a problem.
Mr Federicks said there was little residential stock left because of the demand from Sydney.
``For example, 10 to 15 per cent of the first stock available at Shell Cove went to Sydney buyers," he said.
Illawarra Regional Information Service research manager Simon Pomfret said there was ``a lot going on".
Lower interest rates plus public sector investment were helping to stimulate the construction industry.
``Residential building has also picked up, with builders able to pick and choose the work they want," Mr Pomfret said.
This followed a building slump after introduction of the GST last year.
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© 2001 Illawarra Mercury