Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has given Master Builders Victoria (MBV) members an exclusive industry re-opening update during a special COVID-19 Construction Industry Resource Summit yesterday. 

With Victoria set to hit its 80 per cent first dose vaccination target this week, Mr Pallas said the building and construction industry was on track to reopen on October 5. 

“The path to reopening won’t be easy as we aim to slow the spread of the virus,” Mr Pallas warned. 

“It’s why each stage of the plan relies on us meeting our vaccination thresholds and each step is dependent on the public health advice and the health system capacity. 

“But I can assure you that there are better days ahead. 

“I know that the current shutdown of the construction industry has been difficult for all of you. 

“From our biggest sites to our smallest home builders and right through the supply chain, it was a difficult decision taken on public health advice that there was simply too much transmission in the construction industry. 

“This shutdown has given us an opportunity to allow for the entire industry to reset.” 

With multiple outbreaks linked to construction in both metropolitan and regional Victoria, Mr Pallas admitted the current two-week shutdown was frustrating for all MBV members who are complying with the health directions and continuing to get vaccinated. 

“It’s incredibly frustrating for them to now be in lockdown, and to those people, I say thank you for doing the right thing to protect your colleagues, your family and friends, and the Victorian community,” Mr Pallas said. 

“We don’t take lightly any decision to shut down workplaces and we hope and expect that this reset will be sufficient to enable work in construction to restart as planned on October 5. 

“We have been doing a power of work with the industry to ensure we can restart on October 5 and that’s to demonstrate to you all, and to the industry collectively, that we are deadly serious about trying to meet that October 5 timeline. 

“And I’m getting increasingly confident that we will.” 

Mr Pallas reinforced that Victoria’s public health teams and government officials were also working with representatives from across our industry to ensure that COVIDSafe settings for construction sites were effective and workable. 

“We have been in continuing discussion with representatives from all different sectors of the industry and we are listening to those who work on construction sites to ensure that when the industry reopens, we can be confident that worksites are safe, and restrictions will be followed,” Mr Pallas said. 

“We are also working with MBV, and other industry stakeholders, to determine the best way for industry to show good compliance with the Chief Health Officer’s directions. 

“MBV, and other industry stakeholders has put forward a proposed roadmap to reopen to inform our thinking highlighting ways that regional movement, vaccinations status and crib rooms can all be effectively implemented in a COVIDSafe way.” 

MBV thanks Treasurer Tim Pallas for taking the time to give our members this important re-opening update.   

Our re-opening discussions are continuing with the Victorian Government today and we will continue to keep members up to date as soon as more information becomes available.