Jobs Rest On Contract Win
Newcastle Herald
Saturday May 3, 2003
NEWCASTLE shipbuilder ADI expects to hear next month if it has won the $750million contract to build 12 patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy at Carrington.
ADI has pledged to employ at least 30 jobless people in a 400-strong workforce if it wins the navy contract.
It is one of three businesses vying for the job and its tender is the only one without a steel or aluminium hull. Instead, ADI proposes a composite-fibre hull, best described as advanced fibreglass.
Yesterday, ADI's managing director Lucio Di Bartolomeo toured the firm's Carrington base with Liberal senator John Tierney and federal member for Paterson Bob Baldwin.
Mr Bartolomeo said he expected the successful tenderer would be announced in four to six weeks.
He said the Carrington plant could accommodate much more than the 100 staff working on mine hunter support, design and yacht refits.
He was confident ADI's patrol boat tender was a winner and the contract was vital for the plant's future.
``It would be very difficult, let me say, to continue maintaining Newcastle if we don't get a big contract like the patrol boat," he said. ``This site is just far too big for us, unless we get a big contract."
Mr Bartolomeo said four yachts had been refitted at ADI in the past five months, which was good ``fill-in" work but would never replace defence shipbuilding.
``Unfortunately it's not the base or core to keep a facility like this going," he said.
He said ADI's composite hull of layered fibres and resin was a winner and anyone with derogatory comments about it were ignorant of its capabilities.
``We would not have been selected on the shortlist if advanced composites wasn't a satisfactory material," he said.
Federal member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson said the ADI proposal was a wonderful opportunity for Newcastle.
``If ADI wins the contract for Newcastle then they would be embedding new skills and employment in the Hunter," she said.
© 2003 Newcastle Herald