BIG MAC WAGE BITE

Mac Point documents reveal $1.16m pay bill

STAFF at the Macquarie Point Development Corporation have been collecting an average of $100,000 a year in wages as the prime wate waterfront site remains largely vacant. Documents obtained under right to information laws reveal a $1.162 million wages bill in the year to the end of May. Opposition spokesman David O’Byrne said the lack of progress at the site was “beyond a joke”.

MACQUARIE Point Development Corporation staff earned an average of more than $100,000 each in the past financial year amid criticism of a lack of progress at the site.

The Tourism Industry Council Tasmania and the Labor Opposition have queried progress on the 9ha precinct, site of the former railyards near Hobart’s waterfront.

Documents released to the Mercury under right to information laws this week reveal $1.162 million was spent on corporation employee wages for the financial year to the end of May. The number of staff during that period varied from 10 to 11, making the average wage between $116,200 and $105,636 for the 11 months.

RTI documents also showed the corporation spent more than $3.3 million on external consultations for a range of projects, the main one being a contract awarded to AECOM for environmental remediation. Since 2016, the firm had been given more than $1.5 million for its work, which also included sampling analysis and assessment. The work is likely to continue until the end of next year, said Macquarie Point Development Corporation CEO Mary Massina.

“A development of this scale requires the proper and necessary preparatory work, along with the provision of essential infrastructure services,” she said. “This may appear tedious for the community, but it is the critical preparation and infrastructure needed for Mac Point’s long-term success.”

Opposition infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne questioned the use of taxpayers’ funds.

“That’s an extraordinary amount of money for an output which is hard to discern,” Mr O’Byrne said. “This is getting beyond a joke now.”

The Federal Government gave $45 million in June 2012 to redevelop the site.

Ms Massina is in charge of redevelopment of the land, worth a potential $1 billion.

She took over the role, which attracts a total salary package of about $280,000, from Elizabeth Jack in January 2017.

Other payments to consultants have included $182,000 to Mona for its master planning design services in 2016-17, $176,000 to local building surveyors Pitt and Sherry for an infrastructure design review in 2018-19 and $130,000 to Shane Mann and Associates for architectural design services for the Goods Shed redevelopment in 2018-19. The corporation receives income from assets on the site, from tenants and the large car park.

The chief executive officer’s diary, also released under right to information laws, showed a total of 582 appointments in the 11 months to the end of May this year.

The appointments were categorised as either a meeting, forum, event, media, presentation or workshop and there was one conference.

Most meetings were categorised as being with corporation staff and “stakeholders,” with the vast majority being held at the corporation’s office.

The only time the CEO left Hobart was to attend and speak at a conference in Darwin in September last year.

There were 23 appointments with the State Government in the period and none with the Federal Government.