The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Chris Pearce MP , and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration Senator Richard Colbeck , announced today that St Hilliers Contracting Pty Ltd had been selected as the Managing Contractor for the refurbishment of the Royal Australian Mint (the Mint) in Canberra .
St Hilliers Contracting Pty Ltd presented the strongest Managing Contractor tender for the refurbishment of the Mint,” Senator Colbeck said.
“The Royal Australian Mint Refurbishment is a comprehensive project to keep the Mint up to date with occupational health and safety and building code compliance requirements. The Department of Finance and Administration, the Mint and the Federal Safety Commissioner are working together to ensure the project will meet occupational health and safety standards.
“The appointment of St Hilliers Contracting Pty Ltd as the Managing Contractor completes the team for the refurbishment project. St Hillers and Project Manager Connell Wagner Pty Ltd will now work together to refurbish the Mint to ensure the continued economic viability of this landmark building, and compliance with government accommodation standards,” Senator Colbeck added.
Mr Pearce said the Australian Government committed to fund the refurbishment of the Mint in the 2005-06 Budget.
“The Mint has not had any major upgrade works undertaken since it was built in 1965. As a major tourist destination attracting around 200,000 visitors each year, the refurbishment will provide for a contemporary museum and gallery space, comparable to other national institutions,” Mr Pearce said.
“Consolidation of the Mint's operations into the Process Building will provide a unique opportunity to put in place more efficient and secure production processes, along with commercial grade quality office space,” added Mr Pearce .
The refurbishment works are being managed by Finance. In March 2006 Finance issued a national Request for Tender for the Managing Contractor and as a result St Hilliers Contracting Pty Ltd was selected following this national single-stage tender process.
CANBERRA
3 September 2006
Media Contacts:
Chris Pearce's Office: Gillian Harvey - (03) 9887 3890 or 0411 567 060
Senator Colbeck's Office: Aaron Oldaker - (03) 6424 5960 or 0408 826 330