Grocon goes to ground
GROCON’S Queensland company, 16 days from its deadline to complete the $550 million Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, has not lodged financial documents with ASIC for more than two years.
Grocon Constructors (Qld) has been forbidden from taking on or seeking new work by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, which placed a condition on the company’s building licence on Tuesday and were “determining if the company meets its licensing obligations”.
Neither the company nor the QBCC has explained why the company’s licence has been restricted. However, many licence conditions and cancellations are due to a builder being unable to meet minimum financial requirements.
The Queensland arm of Australia’s self-described biggest construction company last lodged financial statements with the federal regulator in June 2015. It had previously lodged them annually since 2009.
Companies are required to lodge financials when there are substantial sums of money in- volved or if the general public has invested funds with the company.
The Parklands project is being backed by the State Government and the Abu Dhabi Government, which declined to answer the Gold Coast Bulletin’s questions.
Grocon’s PR firm said “Grocon has advised that it wishes to make no further comment on this matter”.
Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones said she was sure the village would be ready for handover to the Government on September 30.
“We have been advised that subcontractors are on site and Grocon is on track to complete the village and complete it well,” she said.
Shadow Commonwealth Games Minister John-Paul Langbroek said subcontractors on the site needed greater assurance they would be paid for their work.
He said one contractor had been told he’d be paid by a different subsidiary of the Melbourne-based group.
“Subbies can’t be blamed for feeling like they’re operating under a cloud of uncertainty when the Brisbane Labor Government continues to stay at arms’ length from these issues,” Mr Langbroek said.