O'Kenny backs Shire

Long-term Kununurra resident and businessman James O'Kenny has come out backing the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley - not something he does regularly.

He felt he must speak out following an article in last week's Kimberley Echo about the awarding of a building contract to NT builders Nortruss over Colin Wilkinson Developments (CWD).

In the article, CWD construction manager Stan Best hit out at the council decision to award the contract to a non-local company that had put in a much dearer tender.

Mr O'Kenny said: "One could say that the Shire's choice of a Darwin contractor Nortruss over a locally-based builder at a cost of $88,000, was not a good one, given the details as reported in your last edition.

"However, as the principal of a local business that has turned over many millions of dollars over the years, 90 percent of which came from contracts outside the East Kimberley, I have to agree with the Shire's choice.

"Some years ago our firm, like most others in the transportable building business, opted for using contractors for installation, construction and repair work instead of permanent staff.

"In our case this was partly due to prompting from local builders," he said.

Mr O'Kenny believes that over the last few years building activity, created by mainly government contracts, has absorbed all the local builders and contractors to the point that no one else can get any building or repair work done for periods of up to 12 months or more.

"This situation has caused friction and sometimes legal action between contractors and principal contractors.

"In one such case, a contractor, having entered a verbal contract and part performed on it, dropped the job as soon as his tender for a more lucrative government contract had been accepted.

"He then allegedly did a deal with the principal supplier to avoid any penalty enforcement.

"There was no real problem here, as the victim was able to get the job done without bringing in contractors and was able to sustain any financial setbacks. "Would that be the case with a battler trying to build a house or shed or whatever?" Mr O'Kenny asked.

"CWD is obviously an efficient and reputable company, but the fact is that it has picked up much of the government building work in the Aboriginal communities and Kununurra and has sub-contracted much of this work to local builders, and it would appear it has all the work it can handle.

"In assuming Nortruss will bring its own tradesmen and not compete for the short supply of locals, I welcome the Shire's decision, if it will ease the shortage of building contractors in the East Kimberley," Mr O'Kenny said.