Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak of a local steel fabrication and construction company in my electorate of Bass who are doing some terrific things: Haywards and Crisp Brothers. They are a Tasmanian based steel fabrication and construction company who employ 240 workers, including an impressive number of 35 apprentices.

Different career paths made available through the apprenticeships are those of qualified tradesmen, supervisors, managers, project managers, welding supervisors and inspectors. There are workshops around the state, including in Kings Meadows in my electorate but also at Western Junction, Wynyard and Hobart. This is where all of the projects that the company undertake are fabricated—locally, in Tasmania—and then shipped to other states.

Some of the current projects that the company is undertaking are to manufacture fifty-six 80-metre-high wind towers for the Musselroe Wind Farm, in the north-east of Tasmania; the fabrication of bridge girders for the M80 upgrade in Melbourne; the fabrication and installation of coal stackers in New South Wales and Queensland; the installation of mining equipment in the Pilbara area; and the manufacturing and installation of an air walk in New Zealand, similar to the Tahune AirWalk. Other impressive, previous projects include the fabrication of the outer rim for the Southern Star Observation Wheel at Docklands; the fabrication of the roof steelwork for the new AAMI football stadium in Melbourne; the manufacturing of a woodchip ship loader at Geelong port; and the fabrication of fuel storage tanks for the Brisbane Port.

Haywards works closely with other Tasmania industries and businesses, including TEMCO, Rio Tinto's Bell Bay aluminium, Cement Australia at Railton, Hydro Tasmania, TasRail and Caterpillar. Haywards pride themselves on being 100 per cent owned and managed by Tasmania. They have close management-employee relationships with a strong focus on quality and the commitment to deliver projects on time.

I recently visited the Haywards site at Western Junction and met some of the local employees. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the workers talking about the projects that they are undertaking. I was also thrilled to hear about the size of some of the projects that are on the go at the moment, not only the towers for the Musselroe Wind Farm but also interstate projects. This is a strong endorsement of the company and their workmanship.

I would like to congratulate Steve Edmunds and his team at Hayward and Crisp Brothers on their involvement in some terrific projects and wish them all the best for a strong and successful future in the industry.