Uniting civil construction, Civil Contractors Federation Victoria drives the conversation at Converge 2025.
Since 1943, Civil Contractors Federation Victoria (CCF Victoria) has laid the groundwork for Victoria’s civil construction sector, ensuring every foundational effort is recognised. Now, stepping into the spotlight as an Association Partner at Converge 2025, the organisation is ready to cement civil construction’s role in shaping Australia’s future.
Converge, a premier municipal works, civil and commercial construction event, has found a natural ally in CCF Victoria. Both rally around the mission of strengthening the industry – building connections, facilitating knowledge sharing and influencing the policy landscape.
“For some time now, Australia’s civil construction industry has been mostly overlooked in public policy debates and developments around topics including housing and the renewable energy transition,” says CCF Victoria CEO Lisa Kinross.
Kinross points to housing development as a prime example of civil construction’s often unrecognised impact.
“You cannot have housing without the enabling infrastructure that needs to go in first: this includes subdividing and clearing lots, constructing essential road networks for residential and connecting infrastructure and ensuring vital utilities such as water, electricity and sewage are in place,” she says.
For CCF Victoria, Converge 2025 represents a chance to change the narrative.
“It looked like an exciting new opportunity for us to reset the ledger and get civil firmly front and centre in the minds of policymakers and other decision-makers, among other key stakeholder audiences,” she adds.
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As the peak body for Victoria’s civil contractors, CCF Victoria represents 460 member businesses and employs 45,000 professionals who deliver close to $22 billion in public and private infrastructure each year. Alongside strong advocacy, the organisation paves the way in skills development through specialised training and apprenticeships, equipping the workforce for Victoria’s evolving infrastructure needs.
This mission aligns with Converge 2025’s agenda – gathering industry leaders to tackle pressing challenges. With infrastructure budgets under tight strain, Kinross views the event as a timely stage to champion industry‑led solutions.
“Converge 2025 can be a catalyst for positive change, enabling our industry to influence policy settings that support governments at all three levels to achieve their infrastructure objectives,” she says.
CCF Victoria’s participation at Converge is part of a broader effort to amplify civil construction’s voice.
“The work our highly skilled contractor members do is all around creating safe and connected communities by building sustainable civil infrastructure for current and future generations,” says Kinross.
“By actively and collaboratively engaging with government and industry partners on major projects and ongoing infrastructure maintenance, we can achieve common goals of building vibrant, liveable cities, suburbs and communities in all parts of the state.”
At Converge 2025, CCF Victoria aims to raise awareness among decision-makers – particularly in government – about the pivotal role of civil contractors, and to unify the industry’s voice.
“CCF Victoria is pleased to be reactivating the Victorian Civil Construction Industry Alliance (VCCIA), an initiative we founded 20 years ago to strengthen the sector through a diverse group of niche interest groups, member associations and peak bodies,” says Kinross.
“We are equally pleased to see several alliance members – AustStab, Municipal Works Australia and Australian Flexible Pavement Association – also supporting Converge 2025 as Association Partners.”
While indispensable, the civil construction industry faces mounting pressures. As Kinross explains, “Despite many reasons to be excited and hopeful for the future of civil construction, our industry continues to face significant headwinds, particularly in Victoria, with a contracting state budget that forecasts reduced spending on infrastructure, in a bid to rein in soaring public debt. Add to that ongoing issues around workforce shortages, continuing cuts to skills training and apprenticeships funding delivered by independent RTOs, complex IR issues, and a volatile and polarising political and policy climate, it’s possible to appreciate the work we still have to do.”
At Converge 2025, CCF Victoria’s message is clear: construction priorities cannot be planned and delivered in isolation.
“The government needs to understand it is falling increasingly short of its current targets for homes and will ultimately fail in this endeavour unless it prioritises civil construction and the enabling infrastructure that contractors deliver,” says Kinross.
“For any contractor, large or small, and every project engineer or LGA procurement professional with a stake in construction infrastructure, this is our opportunity to ‘converge’, to unite and demonstrate how our industry can deliver national priorities such as housing and energy.
“You can’t have homes, energy and utilities without the enabling infrastructure that helps bring it all online.”
Key themes at Converge 2025 will include the role of enabling infrastructure in government policy, avenues for civil contractors to adjust to shifting national priorities, the value of industry alliances in linking civil and vertical construction, and strategies for achieving sustainable infrastructure delivery while keeping public debt in check. The future landscape of Victoria’s civil construction sector will also be a central topic of discussion.
With the civil construction industry at a crossroads, CCF Victoria is ready to make its voice heard – championing the sector’s role in building the future – at Converge 2025.
To learn more about how you can get involved in Converge 2025, visit convergeexpo.com.au