Question & Answer – Spirit Berths at Devonport – Effect on Crane Operators

November 6, 2025

Ms WEBB question to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT, Mr VINCENT

Thursday, 6 November 2025

The urgent construction works to finalise the Devonport berths for the new Spirits are ongoing. Can the minister confirm that major industrial construction crane operators were requested as a matter of urgency to relocate those cranes from other sites around the state to Devonport to boost the progress of the ferry berth construction? If so, how many were requested to relocate for the purpose?

Are you aware of any other infrastructure developments in other parts of the state impacted by the lack of ready access to crane operators due to prioritisation of those berth works? If cranes were requested to relocate, can you confirm who’s bearing the cost? Is the GBE involved or the government? And, what is the cost?

ANSWER

Mr President, it’s not something I am aware of. The contractor on site is BDM, so it will be an operational thing. I am more than happy to ask the question to get some clarification.

I wish I could spend more time on the Devonport site. For an old construction carpenter, it’s incredible to see the size and the amount of cranes on site and the different purposes that they are doing. One of my staff is sitting over there behind me. He had great fun in putting one of the captions that the largest crane in Australia was there and so was I to do the heavy lifting. I’m not sure which one he implied needed the heavy lifting done.

Ms Forrest – It’s standing up again now, after the storms. It was lying down; it didn’t fall down.

Mr Vincent – No it didn’t fall down. It’s quite remarkable the different cranes that are required on site to do the different jobs that are there at the moment. I am more than happy to follow through on that question and come back to you as soon as I have the information.