A Dean Winter Labor Government will deliver a fresh start for Tasmanian road users by building Tasmanian roads for Tasmanian conditions.
Last year, Tasmania’s roads fell apart after a single storm event. More than 3,000 potholes appeared across Tasmania’s state roads. Since then, they have been patched up, but are just waiting for the next storm event before they open up again.
Labor has been working with civil contractors on a plan to get this right. They do a great job, out working every day to build our state.
The application of Victorian Standards by the Liberal Government meant that materials used within road building have been inflexible and have led to higher costs and worse results. A Labor Government will add flexibility to those standards so that local contractors can use local materials.
We will build Tasmanian Roads for Tasmanian conditions. We will build the roads right, the first time.
A Dean Winter Labor Government will deliver a five point plan to build Tasmanian Roads for Tasmanian Conditions.
- Flexible Tasmanian Road Standards
The Liberals adopted the Victorian Road Standards in 2016. Since then we have seen an inflexible approach to road building – not allowing contractors to use a common sense approach. Labor would bring flexibility back road standards, allowing contractors to use locally sourced materials to build the roads once, properly. This will ensure:
- Suitable materials are sourced from local quarries and the re-use of materials on site is prioritised, reducing cost and improving outcomes.
- Road specifications focus on Tasmanian materials that are available and appropriate for the conditions
- Tender Advertising schedules
Contractors call the tender schedule a work of fiction. Rarely do projects ever get tendered when they are scheduled to be, and too often they are still not let until summer.
The Tender Advertising Schedule for major road projects will be brought forward so that contractors are tendering between April and June and building in spring, summer and early autumn. It will mean roads are easier to construct, lower cost and of higher quality.
- Statutory timeframes
Labor will create statutory timeframes for preferred tenders. Tenders will be awarded within 60 days of the tender close date for a standard job and 14 days response times will be introduced for RFIs or clarifications. Statutory timelines have been put in place for GBEs and Planning Authorities, its time for State Growth to he held to the same standards.
- Tender content
We will ensure that more geotechnical data is provided within tender documents so that contractors have the best chance of designing the best road possible.
The Department of State Growth should specify the road seal for new road projects based on detailed vehicle data and traffic requirements.
- Contract terms
A Labor Government will be a model client, working with the industry to get things built. No more heavily biased, one-sided contracts that put too much risk on contractors leading to jobs being delayed, or not happening at all.
This includes the direct the cessation of the current AS4000 process. The current approach has led to contractors abandoning projects they have been given preferred tender status on and has delayed major projects like Huntingfield housing subdivision.
We will establish a consultative process with the construction industry to redevelop a AS4000 contract so that it is fit for purpose and fairly shares risk between the government and the contractor.
Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure
