WorkSafe lease marks major milestone for $100m GMHBA building on Moorabool St

One of Geelong’s biggest employers has signed a five-year deal with a major developer to ensure it can meet the needs of its local workforce – in the process marking a major milestone for one of the city’s newest buildings.

The GMHBA building at 60 Moorabool St, Geelong.

WorkSafe is expanding its presence in Geelong’s CBD with the leasing of two floors in GMHBA’s Moorabool St headquarters, in the process marking a major milestone for the building’s owners.

The workplace regulator has signed a five-year lease for the floor space at 60 Moorabool St to ensure it has the capacity to house its 1450 Geelong-based employees.

Its $120m, 14-storey headquarters at 1 Malop St can hold around 950 staff at any one time and temporary office space at 44 Malop St was recently closed.

“WorkSafe is committed to providing a flexible and welcoming working environment to attract and retain high quality workers in the Geelong region,” a WorkSafe spokeswoman said.

“Having a nearby, purpose-designed space as an extension of WorkSafe’s head office at 1 Malop St ensures team members have sufficient working, collaboration and meeting capacity for current and future needs.”

Since the Covid pandemic ceased, WorkSafe’s policy has been for its employees to be office-based a minimum of three days a week.

The nine-storey GMHBA building was a $100m joint venture between the health insurer and developer Quintessential, which is also the owner of 1 Malop St.

Quintessential’s Julian McVilly said insurer IAG had also recently leased space within 60 Moorabool St and combined with GMHBA’s ground floor health hub, the building was at full capacity for the first time since opening in mid-2021.

GMHBA chief executive David Greig.

“We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone,” he said.

“It is another illustration of the flight to quality we are seeing in the market, and 60 Moorabool St is a high quality building with great amenities and a prime location.

“It perfectly encapsulates Quintessential’s commitment to Geelong and our belief in it as a major regional hub for business.”

GMHBA’s health hub is expected to launch in the latter half of this year.

It will be the first time the ground floor retail space has been activated, with the 770sqm hub to incorporate general medical, physiotherapy, dental and optical services.

As part of the plan, GMHBA will move its health insurance branch and eye care practice from Westfield to the new centre.

“We have a team of almost 300 staff members who work in our head office and the Geelong hub will be an important addition to the company’s health and branch network,” GMHBA chief executive David Greig said.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Quest building at 71-77 Gheringhap St have applied to the state government have its permit amended so it can incorporate a medical facility.

Documents show Pellicano Living wants convert its ground floor retail tenancies into specialist medical centres operated by St John of God.

Originally published as WorkSafe lease marks major milestone for $100m GMHBA building on Moorabool St