MAC to ease accommodation shortage in Pilbara Lorna...

MAC to ease accommodation shortage in Pilbara

Lorna Seatter
Monday, December 17, 2007

AUSTRALIAN accommodation and services company The MAC Services Group has won a contract with the Western Australian Government to construct an accommodation village in the Pilbara.



Queensland-based MAC will build a "motel like" facility next year to house 1400 people to meet Karratha's short-term accommodation demand.

Some 40% of the units will be retained for civil works contractors, builders and tradespeople working on residential development in Karratha, WA Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said.

MAC was the successful tenderer out of a short list of 19 proposals to build the 20-hectare accommodation village at Gap Ridge.

"Strong growth in the resources sector has placed pressure on the region's real estate market, but building more houses quickly was difficult, as construction workers themselves could not find accommodation," MacTiernan said.

"So far we have added more than 340 residential lots to the market in Karratha over the last 18 months, and have more than 1300 lots planned in total, all with development conditions requiring construction within a 30-month time frame," she said.

Karratha MLA Fred Riebeling said additional quality accommodation will attract builders to construct more homes under the WA Government's accelerated land release program.

"We hope to get rooms under construction by May so they can be available for occupancy before the end of 2008 and will alleviate the accommodation shortage in Karratha," MAC executive chairman Kevin Maloney said.

MAC listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in April this year at a 33% premium and has widened its scope to WA with the purchase of the Kambalda Caravan Park in August this year, and winning the tender for the new Pilbara accommodation village.

The company owns over 3750 permanent rooms in the coal fields of North Queensland.

Shares in MAC were at $3.20 in late morning trade, up 5c.