Tasmania’s skilled trades industry will receive a much-needed employment boost through a new five-year
contract awarded to housing maintenance company Lake Maintenance, to provide services to over 12,000
public housing properties across the State.

The contract, signed by the company with the Minister for Human Services Cassy O’Connor, will employ 20
Tasmanians directly, with the potential to provide a further 380 employment opportunities.

For the past five years Lake Maintenance has maintained 6,000 public housing properties in the North and
North-West of the State, employing 11 Tasmanians directly and around 200 sub-contractors indirectly.

Lake Maintenance CEO Rob Bradford said the new contract was testament to the company’s commitment
to providing local employment across the country as well as the Tasmanian Government’s ongoing
objective to boost the State’s employment opportunities.

“We have long-standing relationships with most of the sub-contractors in the North and North-West
regions and we look forward to forging equally strong relationships in the South,” Mr Bradford said.

“By using local companies we are able to deliver high quality maintenance services from the first day of
the new contract, with little disruption to Housing Tasmania, tenants or sub-contractors.”

State Manager for Lake Maintenance, Dennis Schultz, said the new contract would require an additional
office in Hobart, directly employing eight Tasmanians in operational roles.

“Additional to this direct employment, we will be looking at increasing our sub-contractor numbers by
approximately 180, with a lot of interest coming through already,” Mr Schultz said.

“As part of the service agreement, we will be engaging a large number of apprentices and trainees through
our sub-contractors, assisting in the future development of our trade professionals.”

Managing Director of Tasmanian Precision Brett Free said the new contract gave local companies hope
and security in what has been a difficult time in Tasmania.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Lake Maintenance in the North and North-West of the State and I
look forward to further strengthening our ties through the new contract,” Mr Free said.

“It is organisations such as this that keep my business going and ensure my 18 staff have ongoing
employment and career development opportunities.”

The contract with Lake Maintenance will ensure that all public housing maintenance will be undertaken by
Tasmanians.
Richard Benedict, Lake Maintenance General Manager Operations