Pulp mill jobs. Our future

Dave Groves

“Pulp mill jobs. Our future.”

Frankly that’s bullshit …

My working life thus far has been in construction, earthmoving and civil works.

I know construction; it has been my world and a provider for my family for many moons.

I have worked on major infrastructure projects such as rail, road and communication.

I also spent around ten years involved in primarily domestic landscaping and all the side trades that connect with that game.

Now I see stickers on big four wheel drives promoting the pulp mill.

Do these folk think the pulp mill will really give them work?

Is that how they based the purchase of these flashy toys?

Do they really think that this project will involve little contractors to any major degree?

Have they ever worked for construction giants and waited 120 days for the crumbs to be doled out?

Have they ever tried to worm their retention (most likely their profit margin) from the big boys?

Have they ever been forced to undercut just to keep the wheels turning?

These projects may look like a lotto win, and their will be some smart and perhaps ruthless operators who will “clean up”, but many will follow the downhill road of the logging industry and wind up deeper in debt on empty promises.

Hindsight is indeed a wonderful but tardy ally.

Let me tell you about another big project on the north rock.

The Sydney Olympic Games was to be the great saviour of the building game, couple that with the then $7k first home owner’s grant and we, the industry, were saved.

Well that was the theory. Many went on massive spending sprees buying fancy shiny four wheel drives, big and pricey bits of construction equipment and the like.

All well and good until the workers and toys reached saturation and the project finished.

The $7k grant went up to $14k and that staved off the inevitable for a little while, artificially propping up the housing market and keeping “jobs” rolling.

I survived that time by skirting the big projects and instead sought niche projects, but ultimately over capitalisation in the construction industry led to intense undercutting and finally the game and I parted company.

It was time for a change and Tassie looked too good to refuse.

That was five years ago and when opportunity knocked I answered.

I now gladly work with the unemployed of Tasmania. My office is north of Campbell Town, and east of Elizabeth Town and everywhere in between.

Prime pulp mill recruitment territory if you would believe such a place exists.

Personally I have watched the hordes of unemployed find work and we are now in 2007 left with a very small number who by and large require some extra help before they will find work. Ironically for some it is the diminishing agricultural sector due to MIS plantings that make it difficult to find local work.

Most have come to this point in their lives unskilled and praise where praise is due, Federal money (ours of course) has been directed into various training schemes and this is helping in some way to raise these people to the next level.

My point is that in a Tasmanian context the pulp mill will provide little change to the unemployment statistics.

This is confirmed by both local and Federal politicians who by lack of admission cannot give me any insight in to the alleged jobs with regard to Tasmanians.

Curiously I would have thought that a proud Tasmanian leading a proud Tasmanian company would have been excited and enthusiastic about the prospect of being privileged enough to employ his fellow statesmen and would have been spruiking far and wide the jobs that were to be available to Tasmanians.

Curiously I would have thought our proud Tasmanian Premier would have had the same urge.

However, the most curious thing is that when it comes to jobs for Tasmanians, silence is golden.

Now with China having such rapid growth and being capable of manufacturing and building pulp mills, personally I would have them squarely in the frame for any work that may come if the mill reaches approval and secures finance.

I guess only time will tell, but till then try to keep up the payments on the fourbies.