There are concerns Tasmania does not have the workforce to complete the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment.
The hospital redevelopment has been on hold for the past eight months while it was reassessed be the State Government.
During a site inspection, Health Minister Michael Ferguson said delays were a thing of the past.
“There’s no waiting for another piece of work, we’re underway, there’s only smaller details to be worked through,” he said.
He was talking up the redevelopment after rejecting an alternative proposal to build a new hospital and hotel complex on the Queens Domain.
“It’s certainly not second prize, it’s the only viable option Tasmanians had on offer,” he said.
The $657 million redevelopment is expected to create 4,000 jobs.
But the hospital will have to compete with other major projects including Myer and Parliament Square to fill them.
Michael Kerschbaum from the Master Builders Association said there was a skills deficit in Tasmania.
“What we have seen is a flight from the state of people from our industry,” he said.
“We’ve seen 4,500 people leave the industry in the last three and a half years so we’d love to get some of those people back.”
Mr Kerschbaum believes the labor shortage presents big risks to the project.
“The first one is budget blowouts with rates going up, suppliers rates going up, subcontractors rates going up and also delays in projects,” he said.
“There won’t be enough workers currently, it’s a question of whether we get the workers from the north of the state or interstate and what mix of workers they are.”
Managing contractor Craig Edmonds said he hoped the project would entice skilled workers to return to Tasmania.
“There’s every reason we can be on site in February and it will be great to finally get a start physically on a project that’s now got the green light,” he said.
But he admitted it would be a challenge to ramp up the workforce.
“It’s true that some of the industry and tradespeople have moved interstate but they’re also looking for the opportunity to come back and this will give them the opportunity to do that.”
Senior Royal Hobart Hospital clinician, Professor John Burgess, said staff are looking forward to the end of 2018 when the hospital is due to be finished.
“That sigh of relief will also be immense satisfaction of moving into a new facility,” he said
Hobart City Council will first need to approve changes to the plan, including adding a helipad.