Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a cliche to say that we all get here on the back of the hard work of others, but when it comes to civil construction it's literally true. Everyone who travelled here has a team of civil construction workers to thank for making it to Canberra in one piece. Yet when was the last time you thought about the people who built the road you're driving on or the airport your plane is landing at?

Last Friday evening I had the privilege of attending the Civil Contractors Federation Earth Awards in Tasmania. It was their night of nights—the one evening each year when over 2,000 civil construction workers swap their steel-cap boots for dress shoes and celebrate the best of the state's big builds. You could tell they'd been looking forward to it. The people in the room were representatives of businesses big and small all through the sector, all through the supply chain, and you'd be forgiven for thinking there'd be some tension. Supply a table of business rivals a night to cut loose and a bar tab, and you'd be forgiven for expecting some frostiness. But the vibe in the room didn't feel like competitors in a crowded field fighting for supremacy; it felt like a room of colleagues, with people happy just to not be at work and to get a chance to hang out and let their hair down.

Friday's ceremony was particularly moving because it honoured the late Ashley Cooper with a new award established in his name: Civil Apprentice or Trainee of the Year. On the night I heard one story remembering Ashley that I loved.

Back in his university days at Swinburne, the university noticed his grades slipping—and he was on scholarship with minimum grades to maintain. They brought him in for a 'please explain'. In he shuffles, tail between his legs. Where had he been, they asked. Uganda. Doing what, they asked. Building an orphanage. There aren't many people who could walk into a meeting about losing their scholarship and walk out with a second, even bigger scholarship, but that's exactly what Ash did.

It was beautiful to hear the way that Ash and his wife, Tarsh, together made such a massive contribution both professionally and personally to so many lives all over to world.

I heard about a man who had backed his abilities: project management, problem solving and building something from nothing and using it to genuinely changed the world. So I'm really excited to see what the inaugural winner of the Ashley Cooper Civil Apprentice or Trainee of the year, Lynette Richards—yep, a lovely woman—backs herself to deliver. No doubt she will do the honour proud.

The awards themselves showcased extraordinary achievement. Hazell Bros, a family owned Tasmanian company of over 80 years took home five awards. Their projects from the Blackman River Superstructure Replacement to the Devonport East QuayLink works demonstrate that local companies can deliver world-class infrastructure while employing hundreds of Tasmanians.

Tasmania's $786 million New Bridgewater Bridge has been short listed for the 2025 Australian Construction Achievement Award. This is the biggest transport infrastructure project in our state's history, and it's being delivered by Tasmanian workers for Tasmanian communities.

What struck me most at Friday's celebration wasn't just the scale of these projects but their impact. This industry doesn't just pour concrete and lay asphalt. It connects our communities, enables our businesses to compete globally and builds the platforms on which Tasmania's entire economy stands. As we consider Tasmania's future, the message from Friday night was clear: civil construction is more than the $2 billion a year it brings in or the over 2,000 people it employs directly. Civil construction's shaping what the next 30 years of Tasmania will look like.

I want to thank the Civil Contractors Federation for their invitation and congratulate all nominees and winners. After witnessing the skill, dedication and quiet excellence of this industry, I'm genuinely heartened to know Tasmania's future infrastructure is in such capable hands.

These are the Tasmanians who, without fanfare or recognition, are quite literally building our state's future. They deserve our respect, our investment and, at least once a year, our applause.