12 June 2012

$100m Southern Star Observation Wheel a broken wreck

PREMIER Ted Baillieu slammed the troubled Southern Star Observation Wheel as the company behind the shambolic development once again refused to give an estimated finish date.

Mr Baillieu blasted the wheel as a "disappointing sight" on Melbourne's skyline, after Lord Mayor Robert Doyle's calls in yesterday's Herald Sun for a timeline for completion.
Readers were outraged over the wheel's botched construction today, with more than three-quarters voting for it to be scrapped in a poll of 1491 people.
"It looks like what it is, which is a large, expensive, half-completed project, which has been very troubled, and the sooner it's resolved I think the better for everybody," Mr Baillieu said.
"It's an incredibly disappointing sight on Melbourne's landscape. It's obviously a very expensive project. It's been troubled for some engineering reasons and health and safety reasons."
Cr Doyle labelled the wheel an "embarrassment", after repeated refusals from owner ING Real Estate to announce an estimated finish date.
"I think we're all sick of it and I'm not entirely happy with the amount of information we're being given," Cr Doyle said.
"I'd hate to see it go from unfortunate, to sad, to tragic, but that's where we're headed."
In December 2008, the wheel opened two years behind schedule and closed just 40 days later after cracks appeared in the structure.
A spokesman for Southern Star Wheel management yesterday said the construction of the wheel was "very complex" and the occupational health and safety rules were very strict on-site.
He said the State Government would be briefed on progress of the wheel in July, and an estimated finish date might be available then.

heraldsun.com.au 13 Jun 2012

Another project failure overseen by the government.

Project failure was due to the hiring of cheap unskilled engineers, couple together with inferior materials.

All part of a cost cutting exercise that puts the lives of people in danger.

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