NO MEDALS FOR TRADERS
GENUINE Gold Coast companies missed out on the medals in the race for Commonwealth Games contracts.
No matter how the figures are broken down and despite the GOLDOC rhetoric, Gold Coast businesses lagged behind successful contractors from elsewhere.
As the Bulletin reports today, we calculate fair-dinkum Gold Coast companies scored just 8.2 per cent of the $190.3 million in contracts valued over $10,000 in the two financial years between 2015-17.
Looking at the years 2012 to February 2018, GOLDOC’s figures suggest companies “with a Gold Coast presence’’ were awarded just 23 per cent of contracts and purchase orders totalling $681.7 million.
GOLDOC CEO Mark Peters says local businesses had “every opportunity’’ to secure contracts. But there is a big difference between opportunity and actual success.
He says criteria included being “cost effective’’ and “best value for money’’, which observers might interpret as a get-out clause to avoid the “strong commitment to local participation’’ espoused by Games chairman Peter Beattie in July 2016. Local business owners remain livid – and after looking at the figures and crisscrossing the city to verify the bona fides of outside companies claiming a “Gold Coast presence’’, the Bulletin can understand why.
As our special report today reveals, some successful tenderers set up shop locally only for the duration of their commitment, some provided details of addresses and phone numbers that show little evidence of actual presence, and some didn’t bother at all.
This raises the question of just how important GOLDOC and the Government considered a firm Gold Coast presence would really be.
The Government’s stated objectives for the Games included provision of economic benefits and development of local business and workforce capability. The Gold Coast certainly put on a good show, but the bulk of the dollars flowed out of town.
But now the Games caravan has moved on, who is acountable for this injustice?
What was the Palaszczuk Government doing to safeguard our city’s interests? On the one hand Games Minister Kate Jones has been happy to serve it up to the Opposition this week in Parliament, but what was she doing to ensure our best and brightest businesses were given a go?