2032 Olympic Games: More tradies needed to build infrastructure projects including Gold Coast arena
Gold Coast tradies face missing out on the Olympic gold rush, with plans revealed of how the Games workforce will be bolstered in coming years. FIND OUT MORE
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Gold Coast tradies face missing out on the Olympic gold rush, with the state government looking to incentivise workers from other states to move here to build infrastructure.
Billions of dollars worth of projects will break ground in the next three years in order to be ready and fitted out in time for the 2032 Games, with the $350m arena at Southport’s Carey Park and a giant new athletes village at Royal Pines chief among them.
However the Gold Coast’s tradie market is already stretched thin with skilled workers and major builders already hired to build tower projects across the southeast.
Thousands of workers are also already tied up building government infrastructure projects including the new Coomera Hospital and Coomera Connector.
Games Minister Tim Mander said the number of tradies already booked years ahead on long-in-the-pipeline projects meant other steps needed be taken to expand the workforce.
“We have a lot of work to do and what we are doing at the moment is scheduling all of those works so that we can have a timeline for what needs to be done and by what stage,” he said.
“Getting workers will be a challenge but we will be going interstate to get workers to come here.
“This will be a bit of a boom streak with regards to infrastructure development and we will also change some of the conditions which will be in contracts which will make it more attractive for interstate builders to come to Queensland as well.
“We are very confident we will make it.”
But Mayor Tom Tate and building industry leaders say local tradies should be given the first choice to work on projects so they can get the benefit of the Games boom.
The Gold Coast was warned last year it was facing a “tradie time bomb” linked to the Olympics, with billions of dollars in infrastructure projects needed, while a significant number of shelved tower developments are being brought off the shelf with new designs and taken to the market.
Major buildings including Hutchinsons and Multiplex have taken on more projects following the collapse of construction companies in recent years, while other developers are dealing with the issue by creating their own in-house building teams.
With so many projects coming to the market, fears have grown that there would be enough skilled workers to get all built in time for the Games.
The originally proposed Games village at Robina, which was to house more than 2500 people, was dumped by the state government in favour of a similar project at Royal Pines which will become housing after 2032.
No designs for the project or specific locations of the development on the Ashmore golf course precinct have been revealed.
The Gold Coast Arena at Southport will have between 12,000 and 15,000 seats and was agreed in a deal between the state government and council following the 100-day review into the Games.
Master Builders Queensland Gold Coast boss Adam Profke said it was critical for authorities to use the seven-year run-up to the Games to stage construction of the necessary infrastructure to ensure local tradies got the greatest benefit of it.
“We are not starting every project tomorrow and the reality is that we have seven years, so if we can get a pipeline of these projects, we can maximise the opportunities for local Queensland workers,” he said.
“We need to get as many locals involved in these projects as possible but in a situation like this it wouldn’t be unusual to bring more workers in from other parts given so many are transient.
“It would be nice to have them coming down the M1 to work on the Coast but the key is getting locals involved.”
Mr Tate said the call for interstate tradies should only be made once the Gold Coast’s own workers were tapped out.
“Whoever pays the most will call the tune and get the tradies, be it public or private and the market will dictate it,” he said.
“I would say that the offering (for interstate tradies) should only be made once we have exhausted the supply of local tradies.”
Mr Tate said he was hoping to get the detailed design work for the Gold Coast Arena completed rapidly to get a headstart on other developments.
“I’d like to start that one in advance of the Brisbane (stadium) so we can get the tradies before they can,” he said.
“They don’t know it yet but we are very nimble and our planning process is a lot quicker than Brisbane’s.”
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