Queensland Minister for Corrective Services, Mark Ryan, has confirmed five Central Queensland companies have been given the opportunity to tender for a package of early works at the Capricornia Correctional Centre.
“The Queensland Government has moved quickly in the wake of the $200 million announcement to expand the prison infrastructure and create more jobs for the region,” Mr Ryan said.
“The Department of Housing and Public Works is working closely with Corrective Services and has selected five local companies to tender for the early works at the Rockhampton prison which is excellent news for Central Queensland.”
The companies sit on a whole-of-Government register of pre-qualified building consultants and contractors who are eligible to undertake a project of this value.
Member for Rockhampton, Bill Byrne, said all five companies have offices in and around the Rockhampton area, with one in Gladstone.
“We are getting on with the job. As soon as the money was made available, Queensland Corrective Services began all the preparations required to get a project of this magnitude off the ground,” Mr Byrne said.
Minister for Housing and Public Works, Mick de Brenni, said that along with expanded infrastructure, the projects would deliver jobs for the Central Queensland region.
“These jobs, big and small, form a pipeline of government led construction work for local contractors,” Mr de Brenni said.
“Our government backs local subbies and tradies, and this major Central Queensland project is yet another demonstration of that commitment.”
Member for Keppel, Brittany Lauga, stated that the initial works involve extending the staff car park and installing shade sails.
“This is a tangible sign that the project is ‘go’. The car park expansion was part of the Premier’s $200 million commitment to the centre and we fully expect that works will begin on site in August,” Ms Lauga said.
Member for Mirani, Jim Pearce, said that not only will the expansion create more than 100 jobs for locals, it reinforced the Queensland Government’s commitment to deliver opportunities for regional and remote communities.
“Central Queensland has being doing it tough but our resilience shines through. This project confirms our commitment to restoring regional and remote communities by creating jobs and building infrastructure,” Mr Pearce said.
Corrective Services Commissioner, Mark Rallings, said his staff had been working diligently to ensure the project could proceed as quickly as possible.
“There is a huge amount of work involved in the expansion of an existing centre or construction of a new one, but we have a number of managers who are experts in this field,” Commissioner Rallings said.
“The security at our high security centres is state-of-the-art and Capricornia is no different.
“The priority for us is to get the expansion done as quickly and efficiently as possible, on time and within budget.”
