[Images: Aerial footage of the Thomas Embling Hospital construction site and adjacent road]
[Text on screen: The $515 million upgrade of the Thomas Embling Hospital will help transform Victoria's forensic mental health system]
[Images: Saif Shaadman, Project Manager VHBA talks to camera in parkland in front the Thomas Embling Hospital construction site]
Saif Shaadman: Buildings are under construction and they're progressing really well. And then it becomes a lot of detailing in the inside and finishing everything as per specification.
[Images: More aerial views of the construction site; workers reflected in glass panels; construction cranes over the site; an Ability Works worker machining parts]
Saif Shaadman: To me, social procurement means procurement creating social value, provide opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people with disability try to give opportunities to everyone in those communities.
[Images: Philip Knight, employee, Ability Works talks to camera beside his work bench]
Philip Knight: My name's Phil. I've been here uh, 11 years. My job as an employee, so I get to use machines like the one behind, the milling machines, since I did an engineering degree. Any new job comes in, I'll sort of say, do you wanna try it out? Always run a hand up to get to use new machines, new tools.
[Images: Aerial shots of bushland surrounding Ability Works; Philip Knight talking to camera and operating drilling machine at bench]
Philip Knight: I was a bicycle courier in the city, also riding mountain bikes. On the weekend when there was a bunch of us, we sort of went out to do a race. I had a massive accident and ended up in the spinal unit at the Austin Hospital with an incomplete spinal break from the hip down. So I now can't feel hot or cold down one leg and partial function in the other leg. And they were sort of looking for employees. They said, oh yeah, we could fit you. Come and have a look around, you know how to use machines and tools.
[Images: Philip operates the drilling machine; Saif talks to camera]
Saif Shaadman: This is a really interesting opportunity to work with Ability Works in this partnership.
Ability Works is currently delivering the steel brackets of the windows, for the façade.
[Images: Artist impression of the finished construction; Philip places drilled brackets on a trolley]
Philip Knight: We're milling slots in a giant aluminium plate, which is used to hold the windows. I'd like to sort of go out and see where these things are being used.
[Images: Philip talks to camera seated beside his work bench]
Philip Knight: If people have got an underlying issue here, we have a lot of support. We've got a wellness room in here now. One will have sort of stress and anxiety, you sort of get 'em into that room and calms them down and then they can come back to work.
[Images: Montage of sections of the construction site including cranes, scaffolding and concrete mixers; Saif talking to camera]
Saif: Social procurement is really important in this part of construction. From plumbing to our crews, operating heavy machineries, people who are doing the cladding, people who are building external structure, trades which are looking at groundworks. In all those areas, we are, we are trying to give equal opportunities.
[Images: Aerial shots of the site; Philip talks to camera seated beside his work bench]
Philip Knight: I think a lot of companies now are sort of looking at that social enterprise, networking, getting other places involved. They don't have to fork out to get their own workshops. Saves them if we get the job done in a quick time, and you'll sort of see jobs you've been a part of get out into the workforce. We've done that job well in a timely fashion.
People with issues don't just get thrown into a box and not worried about. It gives self-esteem.
[Images: A partnership screen with a white background displays the text 'In partnership with' Forensicare (logo) John Holland (logo)]
[Images: A sliding transition screen then displays the Victorian Health Building Authority and Victoria State Government logos and the url vhba.vic.gov.au]
[End of transcript]
