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Legislative Assembly
 
Centre of Excellence in Earthmoving

06 June 2018
Members statements
FRANK McGUIRE  (ALP)

 


Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (10:02:59) — More than 300 jobs would be delivered in Melbourne's north according to a proposal to establish a major social enterprise targeting the long-term unemployed that would help deliver Victoria's pipeline of major infrastructure projects. The opportunity is to establish Australia's biggest civil construction training centre based on 200 hectares of land at a disused quarry near Melbourne Airport.

Australia Wide Earthmovers has won the expression of interest process to create the Centre of Excellence in Earthmoving, and it wants to establish the social enterprise to assist major companies by training blue-collar workers for the $11 billion Melbourne Metro project and the western distributor project. Dirt from the Tullamarine Freeway widening project has already been stockpiled and is being used to build an access track into the site. Its vision is to establish Australia's biggest civil construction social enterprise, with the aim of handing back the land to Parks Victoria at the end of the lease as public open space.

Agreement has been secured with Melbourne Airport to access the site, according to the director of the Centre of Excellence in Earthmoving, Jim Birch, who met with me this week in Parliament to outline his plan. He has presented letters of support from the Civil Contractors Federation, representing about 400 contractors and 120 associate members; the West Gate tunnel project director; the Brotherhood of St Lawrence employment and engagement manager; the commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people; and other not-for-profit organisations.