Australia’s welding industry is calling for all fabricated steel which is imported into the nation to be inspected to ensure that it meets Australian and international requirements regarding quality and safety

Weld Australia has called on the federal government to introduce a national inspection regime for imported fabricated steel and high-risk goods.

As things stand, Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden says that thousands of tonnes of imported steel is arriving in Australia without any independent inspection to ensure that products meet Australian standards.

This are then used in critical infrastructure such as wind towers, road gantries and energy systems.

This, Crittenden says, is putting Australians and critical infrastructure at risk.

“If it’s made in Australia, it must comply with Australian Standards. Local manufacturers know this—and they’re held to it,” Crittenden said.

“So why are overseas-made goods not subject to the same scrutiny?”

Crittenden pointed to multiple incidents which he said highlight the need for reform.

These including the collapse of a turbine, cracking in towers, and blade failures.

He also cited recent recalls of water heaters and heat pumps found to contain substandard steel, including units that have imploded or leaked flammable gas. Further instances include the collapse of road signs, the failure of renewable energy transformers within a year and mining and railway companies needing to fly engineers overseas in order to oversee quality control.

Such incidents, he said, are not isolated cases but evidence of a broken system.

To address concerns, Weld Australia is calling for:

• a new system and requirement to ensure that any imported steel is inspected upon arrival by accredited professionals to ensure compliance with relevant Australian or international standards; and
• Legislation which holds importers accountable for the safety of the goods which they bring into the country.

He says that third party inspections have been standard practice across Europe, Japan and Canada for decades.

“If products are made in Australia, they must comply with Australian Standards,” Crittenden said.

“Local manufacturers know this, and they build accordingly. If a water heater is made here, it must pass strict compliance checks. If VicRoads or Transport for NSW commissions a bridge or road, it is subject to local inspection throughout the build. So why is it that goods manufactured offshore are not subject to the same scrutiny once they arrive?”

“Infrastructure funded by Australian taxpayers must be safe, reliable, and built to last. It’s time to stop trusting paperwork from overseas and start validating compliance on our own soil. How many lives must be lost before the government takes action. Public safety is not negotiable. It is time we acted like it.”

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