Compliance issue with Wurdi Baierr Stadium retractable seating

Published on 18 June 2026

Surf Coast Shire Council has become aware via independent testing that the plastic used in the new retractable terraced seating at Wurdi Baierr Stadium in Torquay does not meet the minimum fire safety standards under the National Construction Code.

How has this happened?

The seating was installed with compliance documentation supplied at the time of procurement.

After installation, we received information that raised concerns the seats supplied may not match those referenced in the compliance certification provided.

With community safety as our priority, we acted on this information by commissioning preliminary testing, which indicated the seats did not meet the required standard.

We immediately put interim safety measures in place so the seating could continue to be used while we awaited follow-up test results.

Those follow-up tests have now confirmed the findings of the initial testing.

What happens now?

The safety measures remain in place and the seating can continue to be used while we work on a long-term solution, which will likely involve replacing the seats.

We are communicating with the supplier, seeking legal advice and exploring all available options to replace the non-compliant seating with a compliant product.

While we can’t pinpoint a timeframe at this early stage, we would hope the matter is resolved in the coming months.

Our focus will be on replacing the seating at a time that minimises disruption to community use of the stadium, particularly the Surfcoast Basketball Association, who are the primary users of the seats.

Note: the seating structure itself is sound. Only the seats will need to be replaced.

Interim safety measures

To ensure continued safe use of the seating, the following measures remain in place:

• Additional checks when deploying the seating
• Power disconnected once the seats are in place
• A staff member present when the tiered seating is in use
• Some seats kept vacant to maintain safe access
  
  

Community updates

We will continue to communicate directly with stadium user groups as the issue progresses, and will provide updates via this page.