MEDIA RELEASE

29 September 2020

FOREIGN OWNED CONTRACTORS REAP $8.9 BILLION IN QUEENSLAND JOBS  

Five out of Queensland’s six biggest transport infrastructure projects worth nearly $9 billion have been awarded to foreign owned construction companies in the past five years.

The Australian Owned Contractors (AOC) Let Us Build Queensland Campaign today released figures clearly showing the extent of foreign domination of the local construction industry.

AOC CEO Brent Crockford and Queensland-based Director Scott Power highlighted the figures as part of the campaign to mobilise marginal seat voters and pressure government and agencies to take action on the issue.

In Queensland five of the six biggest projects awarded to foreign owned companies, and valued at $8.9 billion, since 2015 include:

  • Cross River Rail - $5.4 billion - CPB Contractors-led consortium (Spain) - 2019

  • Toowoomba Second Range Crossing - $1.6 billion - Acciona (Spain) and Ferrovial (Spain) - 2015

  • Bruce Highway - Caloundra Road to Sunshine Motorway - $812.9 million - Fulton Hogan (NZ) and Seymour Whyte (France) – 2016

  • Bruce Highway Caboolture to Beerburrum - $662.5 million – Acciona (Spain)

  • Mackay Ring Road Stage 1 upgrade - $497.3 million - CPB Contractors (Spain) - 2017.

The only top six project awarded to an Australian company consortium was the Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade in 2018. The project, valued at $514.3 million, went to local companies BMD, Bielby and JF Hull.

The Let Us Build Queensland Campaign is targeting the marginal Brisbane and Gold Coast seats of Aspley, Mansfield and Gaven and the regional seats of Townsville and Mundingburra to raise the issue ahead of the State election. Voters are urged to sign the online petition.

Mr Crockford said that taking an overall view, over the past five years, 84 per cent of major public infrastructure projects ($100+m) in Queensland were delivered by foreign owned contractors.

“That’s over $12 billion awarded to foreign owned companies with Queensland and Australian owned companies relegated to subcontractor status,” he said.

“The mega-bundling of these projects is an unimaginative, ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to contracting which locked out Australian owned companies not based on capability at all, but on ability to take on sole financial risk.

The ‘Let Us Build Queensland’ petition is available via the campaign webpage: www.letusbuild.com.au

Australian Owned Contractors is made up of 18 local Mid-Tier construction companies:

18 logos.JPG

Members of Australian Owned Contractors are:

·         Majority Australian owned and controlled – at least 51% owned by Australian shareholders

·         Have revenue in excess of $250 million

·         Companies that have participated in Federal and State Government funded infrastructure