Treasurer Eric Abetz has defended the decision to keep the Constructure Joint Venture, which includes Italian construction giant Webuild, in the race to build Hobart’s $1.13 billion Macquarie Point stadium.
Abetz today dismissed calls from the Greens to terminate the bid over criminal safety charges Webuild is facing in New South Wales.
“We do have a legal system that says innocent till proven guilty and that is something that the Greens and others might like to consider as well,” Abetz said.
The Constructure Joint Venture brings together Webuild, China Construction Oceania and McConnell Dowell. It is one of two shortlisted bidders, alongside BESIX Watpac.
The Greens want Webuild dumped from the tender process after the company was charged by the NSW safety regulator over a serious workplace incident on the Snowy 2.0 project.
According to The Australian, a senior Webuild manager allegedly ordered workers to keep running a tunnel boring machine despite it being broken, causing a large drill bit to fall on two men in October 2022.
The charges allege the workers could have been killed.
Webuild has pleaded not guilty and the case will be heard over three weeks in July, The Australian reported.
Greens Treasury spokesperson Vica Bayley said the bid “must be terminated”, arguing Webuild appeared to have failed to disclose the court proceedings as required under the stadium expression of interest process.
Abetz told reporters this morning the government needed to stay at arm’s length from the procurement process, saying professional probity advisers had cleared both shortlisted bidders to proceed.
“The Greens and Kristie Johnston don’t want the stadium built and so they are looking for any possible excuse to derail it,” he said.
Abetz acknowledged workplace safety was “one of the absolute top priorities for the government” but said there were “too many imponderables” to act on allegations alone.
“And in the event that somebody is found guilty, let’s see how far that goes up the management chain,” he said.
Independent MP Kristie Johnston has also questioned the company’s involvement, saying “how many red flags do we need?”
Asked whether the charges could push out the project timeline, Abetz said advisers would “take everything into account” and the process should be allowed to run its course.
The 23,000-seat stadium is a condition of Tasmania’s entry into the AFL from 2028.
The government is still aiming to award the contract by the end of 2026.
