Supplier partnerships

Delivering employment and procurement opportunities for local, social and Indigenous contractors and suppliers is a key priority of the Gippsland Line Upgrade.

Industry briefings hosted by Regional Rail Revival, the Industry Capability Network, GROW Gippsland and construction contractor VicConnect were held in Morwell and Warragul to give local contractors and suppliers the chance to learn more about opportunities to become involved in the project.

Some of the packages on the Gippsland Line Upgrade available to local suppliers have included plant hire, concreting and formwork, earthworks, fencing, traffic control, asphalting and line-marking, metal fabrication and soil disposal.

The Gippsland Line Upgrade is delivering more frequent and reliable train services to the growing communities of Gippsland and creating more than 500 jobs in the region.

By focusing on engaging local suppliers and social enterprises, the Gippsland Line Upgrade is having a positive impact on the region.

From sign-making to waste management and grounds maintenance, our partnership with Latrobe Valley Enterprises (LVE) has resulted in more than 750 hours of meaningful employment for 15 people with a disability.

As CEO of the Morwell-based social enterprise, Suzanne Lewis, explains, 78% of LVE team members live with disability.

"Through projects such as the Gippsland Line Upgrade, it actually allows people living with disabilities to have true inclusion into our community ... it is a great win for the team to see the results of their work come to fruition."

Group of people standing infront of a building holding a sign and smiling

We are proud to partner with First Nations Traffic Management (FNTM), providing long-term employment and career opportunities for First Nations people in the civil construction industry.

Providing traffic management services and labour hire for the Gippsland Line Upgrade, FNTM focuses on employing local Aboriginal employees, partnering with Latrobe City Council to promote employment opportunities throughout the local Indigenous communities in Gippsland.

So far, the Gippsland Line Upgrade’s partnership with FNTM has provided employment opportunities for 87 Indigenous traffic controllers.

FNTM also offers every Indigenous employee an opportunity to become a shareholder and partner in the business.

A worker in hi-vis clothing with back to the camera

As well as Morwell-based Latrobe Valley Enterprises, a social enterprise specialising in signage products, Matthews Quarries, Traralgon, has provided essential services during construction works between Pakenham and Traralgon.

Other local suppliers include:

A1 Asphalting, Drouin, for asphalting, road maintenance and profiling
Southern Ridge Electrical, Warragul, for electrical construction
Grove Hire in Pakenham for relocatable buildings such as toilets, containers and demountables.

Supporting the Region

The massive investment in the Gippsland Line Upgrade is delivering significant economic benefits for the region, in the short and long-term.

The project is creating hundreds of jobs and the contractor has established a local project office in Morwell, helping to create jobs and enhance this regional economy.

The top-tier construction firms delivering the Gippsland Line Upgrade are subcontracting work to local contractors and suppliers and the project is a program partner of GROW Gippsland, which has assisted the project to maximise local, social and Aboriginal procurement and employment opportunities across Gippsland.

The Regional Rail Revival program actively engaged the local market to inform and prepare local contractors and suppliers for the project.

The project is providing opportunities for young locals – the trainees, apprentices and engineering cadets who, under the Government’s Victorian industry Public Participation Policy, must provide a minimum of 10 per cent of the total hours worked on the project.