Contract for $10m awarded to rebuild Wujal Wujal road
Disaster recovery
A close to $10m contract has been awarded to Cairns-based construction company HEH Civil by Douglas Shire Council to rebuild China Camp Road at Wujal Wujal.
The money for the road comes out of the council’s about $163m Federal and State Government disaster-funding pool awarded to help rebuild Far North Queensland roads damaged by Cyclone Jasper after December 2023.
Cr Damian Meadows told last week’s DSC meeting that “obviously it went through a stringent procurement policy framework”.
Shire residents, however, are still contacting Newsport about the recent state ombudsman’s audit which found irregularities in the awarding of council disaster-funding contracts during the 2024/25 financial year - and the apparent lack of fallout from that inquiry despite chief executive Scott Osman telling a meeting last year there would be a council review.
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But there is no suggestion there is anything untoward with this latest contract, with the awarding process outlined in a report tabled in last week’s meeting.
“An open-market tender process was undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009,” the report stated.
“Following evaluation of both price and nonprice criteria, a structured clarification process, and moderation under independent probity oversight, HEH Civil Pty Ltd was ranked the highest overall and is recommended for contract award.”
All that has little consequence to residents around China Camp Road, who are just desperate for their main thoroughfare to be rebuilt.
Cr Meadows told the meeting: “I think it is timely that we get the people of China Camp moving and that road repaired.
“There is temporary access in place but I think we need to get back to where we were.”
Cr Rees said the council had now spent more than $200m in overall cyclone-recovery funding.
“Cyclones are very expensive, nine-and-a-half million for one landslide,” he said.
“But it’s got to be done.”
Although China Camp Road is in Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council, a staffer told the meeting Douglas Shire was doing the work to help that council out.
