GOLDOC defends buying mattresses made in China

ALMOST 9000 mattresses for the Commonwealth Games Village will be imported from China after the State Government closed the door on a local bed supplier.

In an email to Games organiser GOLDOC, a senior executive from SleepMaker expressed “our disappoint- ment in your decision to award the contract to an importer”.

“I struggle to understand why you asked questions on how many people we employ in Queensland and you offer the contract to a Melbourne-based company. Good to see you supporting Australian made, even Commonwealth made would be better but you give it (to) China, perhaps we should invite them to the Games.”

Opposition MP John-Paul Langbroek described the buylocal campaign as a con job.

“Labor has slapped local bed manufacturer SleepMaker in the face by awarding the contract to supply almost 9000 mattresses for the Commonwealth Games to a Chinese company,” he said.

“So much for ‘Buy Queensland’. According to Annastacia Palaszczuk, buy local starts only on September 1 so just ignore the last two-and-a-half years. Labor have been caught flat-out lying on mattresses.”

Responding to Mr Langbroek, Ms Palaszczuk told Parliament: “I understand that was the situation that happened with a local supplier under a GOLDOC contract.

“What I will say is that from 1 September our procurement policy will be backing Queensland jobs. It is a policy that is putting Queenslanders first”.

GOLDOC chief executive Mark Peters last night said events the size of the 2018 Games required significant and complex procurement solutions.

“GOLDOC’s Furniture, Fittings and Equipment (FF&E) contract requires over 300,000 items – enough to fill over 170 shipping containers used to transport 46,000 chairs, 40,000 coat hangers, 20,000 tables and 7000 beds, mattresses and bed side tables.

“The tender included a mandatory requirement to provide either a buy back or rental option for all FF&E. No Queensland-based tenderer met this mandatory requirement.”

He said as of June 30, 70 per cent of GOLDOC contracts had been awarded to companies with a Gold Coast presence.