MEDIA RELEASE
20 September 2020
FORCE IN RAIL JOINS FIGHT FOR AUSTRALIAN MID-TIER CONTRACTORS
Australian Owned Contractors (AOC) has welcomed its first specialist rail infrastructure company to the national fight for a fairer deal for homegrown Mid-Tier contractors on important major public projects.
Martinus, a respected and experienced Australian owned and operated family business, delivers medium to large scale rail infrastructure and systems across the country and in New Zealand and is AOC’s first wholly rail focused construction member.
AOC’s CEO Brent Crockford said the AOC now represented 18 of Australia’s top locally owned Mid-Tier construction companies, collectively comprising nearly 20,000 employees and subcontractors.
“All AOC members are united in the fight to push change to procurement processes for our largest taxpayer-funded projects,” Mr Crockford said. “Across the country multi-billion-dollar tender packages are bundled to favour big foreign owned Tier One construction firms and this needs to end.
“The involvement of Martinus in our efforts expands the breadth and depth of the AOC and we welcome the company to the fight for local opportunity and competition, local skills development and domestic company growth.”
Martinus, established and run by Treaven Martinus, has offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Auckland and Santiago overseeing a wide range of rail infrastructure solutions including civil, track, overhead wiring and rail systems.
The company’s highly experienced team of 600 employees has a proven track record in safely delivering complex rail corridor projects. Martinus is currently delivering Australia’s largest track construction project in Queensland and is investing more than $40 million in expanding their fleet of specialised rail plant and equipment to service future projects.
Martinus’ CEO and Managing Director Treaven Martinus said that now more than ever Australian owned companies must be given the opportunity to showcase their world-class capabilities.
“The Australian construction industry has always played an integral role helping bolster the economy during uncertain times,” Mr Martinus said. “With the Australian government expected to inject more than $100 billion to deliver various infrastructure projects across Australia, there should be more pressure for them to delivered by Australian companies to keep profits here, rather than offshore.”
Martinus is committed to investing its profits back into the economy to support local job creation and provide training opportunities to address the skill shortage within the rail sector.
“One hundred per cent of our profits are reinvested into the Australian economy and being Australian owned, we continue to invest in our growth - both in terms of capability and capacity - to deliver Australia’s largest infrastructure projects,” he said. “We are looking forward to working with the AOC to advocate for change and in turn safeguard the Australian economy for future generations,” he said.
Mr Crockford said that as governments helped kick-start COVID-19 economic recovery by fast-tracking more infrastructure projects, it was essential that Australian owned businesses were given more head contract leadership opportunities.
“Sadly, Australia’s once proud history of homegrown, nurtured and owned top tier construction firms is no more,” he said.
“If we are to have any hope of growing domestic skills and allowing Mid-Tier Australian-owned businesses to grow and evolve into our new leading Tier One players, then we need practical action to reform procurement on major projects to encourage more work and less barriers for our Mid-Tier contractors.”
Australian Owned Contractors is made up of 18 local Mid-Tier construction companies:
Members of Australian Owned Contractors are:
· Majority Australian owned and controlled – at least 51% owned by Australian shareholders
· Have revenue in excess of $250 million
· Companies that have participated in Federal and State Government funded infrastructure