As one of Tasmania's largest employers, the construction industry does not appear to have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.
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Because of the nature of the work and the time it takes to complete one project, you could be forgiven for thinking construction was more insulated than most.
Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania
It is an industry that has a vast ripple effect on others and, as such, plays a vital role in Tasmania's economic makeup.
That's even though it often does the hard work largely unnoticed - builders, electricians, plumbers, painters, engineers, they all just get on with the job.
While predominately a health issue, talk in Tasmania around coronavirus has turned to the economic impact the crisis will have on our state. And it's exposed a potential weak spot for our construction industry - a weakened economy, or even a perceived one, results in less spending. In times of uncertainty, people do what is most natural, they tighten their belts. That renovation you were planning, let's just shelve it for now. Or maybe it was that subdivision you were looking to get off the ground, but now can't because of the shut down of local government planners or delays in getting approvals for work to become shovel-ready.
These things all have a ripple effect and if the hammers are put down, Tasmania's economy will grind to a halt. While stimulus packages in the form of renovations and refurbishments on Tasmanian government-owned buildings are welcome, the devil will be in the detail on just how these projects will be rolled out.
With Tasmania's construction industry on the edge of a cliff, as Master Builders Tasmania's Matthew Pollock says, targeted stimulus and timely delivery will be vital.
The last thing construction workers need are time frames that are too short, and that cause unnecessary competition, reminiscent of the Building the Education Revolution during the Global Financial Crisis. While the stimulus is important, the details are crucial to making sure construction can continue. Because if construction continues then more families - the mum-and-dad investors - will see confidence in the economy and we might just turn that corner.
