Work on the $63 million Mandorah jetty project has finally started five years after the NT government declared it a priority project, the Lawler Government has said, but the cost has more than doubled since 2017, however the upgrade will make the facility compliant with changes to national disability legislation that came into effect 18 months ago following a 20-year lead-in time.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said in a statement Sydney-based project developer SMC Marine was now preparing the site and storing quarry materials for staged construction, with a southern breakwater also being constructed.

She said there would be two breakwater structures, a new terminal building with enhanced disability access, an upgraded carpark, and a new boat ramp, but she did not say when the works would be finished.

During construction, the existing Mandorah Jetty will be maintained to provide continued ferry services Ms Lawler said.

“It is great to see the upgrades to our marine facilities at Mandorah moving forward, this progress is the culmination of years of consultation with the communities. The facilities are in line with community expectations,” she said.

The new jetty is necessary for the Lawler Government to adhere to federal public transport accessibility legislation under the Disability Discrimination Act that came into effect on January 1, 2023, but had a 20-year lead-in time.

String of delays

In a February 2019 press release the previous Fyles administration declared the Mandorah jetty a priority project to be fast tracked, and estimated it would cost $50 million, with the original design tender to be finished that month, the design contract to be awarded in April 2019, the construction tender to be released in May 2020, and the jetty finished in May 2022.

At the time, ABC reported the jetty upgrades had been promised in 2014, and again in 2017. The preferred of four options in 2017, was to build new facilities close to the existing jetty. This included a new pontoon, gangway, and rock groyne for $24 million.

Cardno NT was awarded the $1.1m design contract in July 2019. However, it was halted after the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT and disability advocates objected to its features.

In July 2020, a government press release said COVID-19 had “put several restrictions on how industry collaboration will occur” and that “due to this, the earlier announced project timeframes will not be met”.

The government said at the time that the next stages of the project would be determined after the design was finalised.

As of November 2020, “final” plans for the rebuild were released, with then-Infrastructure Minister Ms Lawler stating that a construction tender would be released in mid-2021, with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2022, the NT News had reported.

A December 2021 government press release said a design and construct tender was issued on December 15, with the construction contract to be awarded and site work to begin in the first half of 2022.

In October last year, Ms Lawler reported that the construction tender, which closed in mid-2022, did not result in successful contractor selection.

“While the project has realised some delays including challenging construction market conditions and the effects of inflation on materials and supply chains, the Territory government remains committed to delivering this important and significant project,” Ms Lawler said at the time.