CITY LOSING PATIENCE

WE live in interesting times when a federal minister who might be regarded as a staunch conservative is going into bat for the workers, many of whom are represented by the CFMEU.

But the drama being played out on the construction site of Jewel is something out of the ordinary as it drags on and the nagging question is why. So for the third time in a week, the Bulletin urges the players in this to explain what is going on.

The ramifications could end up being widespread and in this instance Steven Ciobo, the Minister for Defence Industry, is also wearing his hat as the local Member for Moncrieff. He was right yesterday in calling on the developer, Yuhu Group, and construction contractor Multiplex to explain the reasons for the upheaval.

As frustration and fears grow, the time has come for a circuit-breaker.

While a shutdown, standoff or simple pause in construction drags on, while 800 workers feel compelled to walk off the site and take their tool boxes with them, and while uncertainty builds and ordinary Gold Coasters impacted by that situation start to wonder how they will survive as the festive season approaches, someone – Yuhu or Multiplex – has to step up and explain what is happening with the $1.4 billion project.

Yuhu has said work on the development should be in full swing, and yesterday said it had urged Multiplex to explain the holdups publicly. Yuhu’s line since the weeklong upheaval began has been that designs of lower podium levels have yet to be finalised. Multiplex has remained mute, but workers say its representatives have told them they’re in the dark.

Mr Ciobo says workers – his constituents – should not be left in limbo. As he says, even if the news is unpleasant, everyone involved deserves to know.

So he and many others across the spectrum of Gold Coast society and the business community, including the Bulletin, urge these companies to communicate with each other, the community and the hundreds of workers who fear for their financial security. About 150 have already lost jobs. Even a city the size of the Gold Coast cannot afford the impact of that.

What happens with the Jewel project and its iconic three towers will affect the entire city’s economy.