Wednesday, 22 June 2022

Albert Street, Sebastopol

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (17:48): (2007) My adjournment tonight is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety and relates to major roadworks being undertaken on Albert Street, Sebastopol. I have spoken in this place previously, and will continue to do so, regarding the damage these poorly planned works are causing to local traders along the street. Entrances to these businesses have all but been cut off, limiting customer access. Some businesses say their income is down by 75 per cent. A car wash has gone from cleaning 150 cars a day to three. A bakery and a laundromat are among those seriously impacted, with equipment damaged and business lost, when the water main was cut without notice on at least eight occasions. The businesses rightly want and need and deserve compensation from the Victorian government. It is the state roadwork activity that is causing the damage.

However, this is not the only problem arising. There are now questions being asked about the staging of this contract and the contractual arrangements themselves. I am advised by observers from within the construction industry that this project should have been undertaken in stages instead of as one big whack of work that is now delivering pain for residents, traders and motorists. It has been described as outrageous. Questions are also arising in relation to the contract formulation and signing. There appears little to no evidence that this contract, potentially worth about $30 million, went through a proper tender process before being awarded. There is significant disquiet that the contract was potentially handed to the head contractor, Seymour Whyte, on a cost-plus basis. This may explain the huge resources being thrown at it with little consideration of the impact on others. For example, I am advised that gawk screens on barriers are being used and that these are entirely unnecessary for the circumstances and indeed are not recommended by VicRoads. Serious questions are therefore being asked about the huge cost of this project.

The action I seek of the minister is to make public the contractual arrangements for this job and the process by which the head contractor was selected. This project is smothered in problems, and Ballarat taxpayers and indeed the taxpayers of Victoria deserve to know why.