Steel manufacturing firm InfraBuild has secured the very first steel supply contract linked to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, strengthening its foothold in Queensland amid an unprecedented AU$119 billion state construction boom.
Under the deal awarded by main contractor Hutchinson Builders, Australia’s sole producer of recycled reinforcing steel will supply locally made rebar for the AU$287.5 million revitalisation of the RNA Showgrounds.
The project forms part of a broader AU$3.5 billion investment in Athletes’ Villages, introducing a 20,000-seat main arena, upgraded grandstands, and a modernised horse pavilion.
The steel will be manufactured from local scrap using InfraBuild’s electric arc furnaces before undergoing processing at its state-of-the-art facility in Eagle Farm.
InfraBuild CEO Francisco Irazusta said the contract was a landmark achievement, while stressing the vital need to back Australian manufacturing over cheap overseas imports.
“We’re proud to have secured the first steel contract for a 2032 Games-related project and to see Australian-made reinforcing steel going into infrastructure that will showcase Queensland to the world,” Irazusta said.
“Queensland shouldn’t be building the 2032 Games with cheap steel imported from Asia. Chinese long steel exports have increased more than fourfold since early 2022. As a result, cheap Asian steel is flooding the market at the very time we should be backing Australian steelmaking, Australian jobs, and more resilient local supply chains.”
To meet surging statewide demand across housing, transport, and energy infrastructure, InfraBuild is rolling out significant regional investments.
The company plans to open a new 2,070-square-metre facility in Toowoomba by late 2027, operated by its subsidiary, the Australian Reinforcement Company (ARC).
Construction on the Toowoomba hub begins in late 2026, delivering an annual capacity of 9,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel.
Alongside upgrades to existing facilities in Hemmant and Eagle Farm, these expansions will boost InfraBuild’s Queensland capacity by nearly 60,000 tonnes a year and create 90 local jobs. The manufacturer aims to lift total furnace capacity to 1.8 million tonnes nationwide by 2030.
InfraBuild is Australia’s only domestic manufacturer of reinforcing steel. It operates 37 sites across Queensland and employs more than 930 people in the state.
