Union says stand redevelopment unlikely until 2024, builder estimates stand ready by year’s end
The completion date of the 14,000-seat stand is up in air. The project’s builder, Cats and state government have given updates.
Geelong
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Dodgy welding on steel will almost certainly push the opening of a 14,000-seat stand, part of the GMHBA Stadium redevelopment, into 2024, the manufacturing workers’ union says.
But the project’s builder, BESIX Watpac, said it anticipated the redevelopment would be completed by the end of the year.
Welding defects on structural steel, due to be used for the multi-tiered stand at the city end of the stadium, were spotted by the union during an off-site inspection on Tuesday.
The latest welding defect find will heap more pressure on BESIX Watpac after other welding faults were found in February on materials for the $142m project.
Pictures seen by the Geelong Advertiser on Tuesday show sections of structural steel have been cut out so welding can be inspected.
Estimates put the cost of fixing welds into the millions of dollars.
From June 22, the Geelong Football Club is due to play six of its last nine AFL games at GMHBA Stadium.
BESIX Watpac chief executive Mark Baker said the builder anticipated the redevelopment would be completed by the end of 2023.
“We currently have approximately 100-110 workers mobilised on site,” Mr Baker said.
“All required steel is now in Australia and we are vigilantly undertaking tasks required to complete quality assurance and to ensure the best quality steel is utilised on the stadium for the people of Geelong.
“Assembly of roof modules is commencing in June and installation will commence once supporting structures are in place as part of the final stage of the project.”
BESIX Watpac is using 1200 tonnes of steel imported from Qatar, and 560 tonnes of Australian steel, for the stand that will lift the capacity of the stadium to more than 40,000 people.
Welding on the Qatari materials was completed overseas.
The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust is managing the project on behalf of the state government.
Geelong Football Club chief operating officer Simon Kelleher told a members forum this week the stadium redevelopment was “likely not to be ready until December”.
“There will be delays with the completion of (the redevelopment); not likely to be available in season 2023 for us … we are very much looking forward to season 2024,” Mr Kelleher said.
“Hopefully over the summer months we will give members the first opportunity to see and feel the new facility.”
State budget documents released last week estimate the redevelopment will be complete between January and March next year.
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union Victoria organiser, Tony Hynds, said the opening of the stand was likely to be pushed into next year because “weeks of work” were required to fix welding issues.
“The welds weren’t to requirements. Holes were found in some of the welds and some weren’t the right size,” Mr Hynds said.
“Every single weld has been checked, there are thousands of welds.
“(The product) has to be sand blasted, welded, retested to make sure the welds are OK, and repainted, then taken back to site.”
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done … there’s three to four weeks work on each column and there’s about half a dozen columns (for the project at the storage area).”
Mr Hynds said a company based in southwest Victoria was engaged to reweld some of the steel to be used for the project.
“One of the other problems is that the sequence of trades on site has been altered.”
Documents from the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust (KPST), released under freedom of information, reveal welding defects on structural steel, which required refabrication were spotted on structural steel in February.
February meeting minutes of the redevelopment’s working group states: “Watpac notified the team there were issues with the type of weld on some steel elements delivered to site. They have since removed the relevant steel from site and are checking and validating.”
Speaking about the delay to the opening of the stand during a radio interview in May, Cats boss Steve Hocking said: “It’s got nothing to do with welding as a local newspaper thought they’d run with, it was just delays in steel.”
The Geelong Advertiser approached Mr Hocking on Tuesday but he said questions about the redevelopment were best directed to the KPST.
The redevelopment of GMHBA Stadium will establish a northern entry plaza, sports museum, a regional cricket hub and function room.
A state government spokesman said it was disappointing that latest stage of the Kardinia Park upgrade was delayed “due to issues with overseas supplied steel and broader supply chain challenges”.
“The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust continues to work with the builder to ensure all materials used on the project, including structural steel, are fit for purpose and meet Australian Standards.”
The spokesman said the project was on track to meet the government’s mandated 91 per cent of local content.
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