IN a major boost to local jobs, the Princes Highway East Upgrade has more than tripled its Aboriginal employment target on the upgrade’s Kilmany East section.
Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) has partnered with Whelans Group Investments (WGI) to deliver the Kilmany East section due to the company’s local knowledge and experience.
A family-run Bairnsdale business, Whelans is supporting local industry in the Gippsland region as it delivers the work.
Whelans has already exceeded state government targets on local procurement and First Nations employment opportunities, and is on track to meet or exceed its skills development requirements for apprentices and trainees.
As a part of its commitment to local jobs, Whelans has engaged Solomon and Sons, a local Gunaikurnai-owned-and-operated earthmoving business, for works on the upgrade.
Through the project, Solomon and Sons significantly increased its workforce, with all staff being First Nations people from the area.
Whelans Group Investments Project Manager Andrew Whelan said the partnership was strong.
“We are proud to have had a longstanding partnership with earthmovers Solomon and Sons, a local Gunaikurnai peoples-led business,” he said.
“The program delivery approach (PDA) model allows us to bring them onto projects like Princes Highway East with us.”
The major boost to local jobs and businesses in regional Victoria is one of the success stories of the Program Delivery Approach (PDA), which MRPV launched in 2020.
The PDA model ensures that all MRPV construction partners are supported to successfully meet their social procurement requirements, including engaging with Aboriginal businesses, social enterprises and jobseekers from communities that may experience disadvantage.
Stage 3 of the Princes Highway East Upgrade, the final stage, is being delivered in three sections: Flynn, Kilmany and Kilmany East.
With 31 kilometres of the Princes Highway East Upgrade already completed, the remaining three sections will receive an extra 12 kilometres of lanes in each direction, providing a consistent four-lane highway between Traralgon and Sale.
Works were recently completed on the Flynn and Kilmany East section sections, delivering around 7.5km of new lanes.
The final section, at Kilmany, will involve completion of a 95-metre-long single’ span, steel-arch rail bridge.
Once complete, the upgrade improvements will create a safer journey for around 15,000 motorists who use the road each day.
The upgrades are set to reduce travel time significantly.
The federal and state governments have jointly funded the $253.3 million final stage of the Princes Highway East Duplication between Traralgon and Sale.
The full project is due to be completed by mid-2024.
