The Tasmanian Liberal Government is committed to supporting local businesses to create jobs as part of our plan to rebuild a stronger Tasmania, while also delivering a world class sporting facility which will be home to Tassie’s very own NBL team.

Today, it was my pleasure to be joined by the Chief Executive Officer of JackJumpers Tasmania Simon Brookhouse and their new coach Scott Roth to announce that Tasmanian based builder, VOS Construction and Joinery Pty Ltd, has been awarded the contract to undertake the major redevelopment of the DEC.

Works have begun to meet our ambitious target to have the venue ready for the Tasmanian JackJumpers to host games when the next NBL season gets underway later in 2021 and I’m thrilled to see both that LK Group and VOS Construction have wasted little time with getting Stage Two works underway following the completion of Stage One works late last year.

It’s projects like the DEC redevelopment which form part of our plan to rebuild a stronger Tasmania by underpinning confidence and providing a strong pipeline and foundation for economic growth.

Following the project going to tender the costs of the project have increased from the initial estimates obtained in early 2020 - from $46 million to $66 million. This is due to a range of factors including the specialised nature of a major stadium development, the very tight project timeframes and our buoyant construction market.

As the building owner, the Government will contribute an additional $15 million to make the Government contribution towards the project $56 million, with the LK Group remaining responsible for any cost overruns.

Importantly, VOS construction will work around the clock to get this project done and will support 150 jobs on site as part of its strong Tasmanian workforce, helping drive our continued economic recovery.

The DEC is just one of a huge range of infrastructure projects that forms part of our plan to rebuild our economy through a landmark $5 billion program to bolster confidence, invest in our community and support 25,000 jobs.

The Tasmanian Government’s partnership with Larry Kestelman will not only create a home base for a Tasmanian team and create a world-class playing venue, it will also result in a four court community multisport facility, benefitting a range of local sports and communities which is expected to be ready mid-year.

The Government welcomes the LK Group’s ongoing commitment to the DEC and Larry Kestelman’s assurance that the project will be successfully delivered for Tasmania within the agreed timeline and ready for the 2021-22 NBL season.