As part of the National Construction Industry Forum (NCIF), the Australian Constructors Association has helped develop a plan to guide the sector towards long-term improvement.
By Jon Davies, CEO of the Australian Constructors Association.
The construction industry has been drifting off course for too long and it’s time to get it back on track. Financial instability, skills shortages, industrial disputes and poor culture have all weighed the sector down.
Recognising the need for urgent action, and the opportunity to reset industrial relations following the Building Bad media investigation, the Commonwealth Government refreshed the NCIF and tasked it with developing a blueprint for change – a practical plan to set the industry on a more sustainable path.
The NCIF works on a simple but powerful idea that when government, industry and unions collaborate, everyone benefits. Over five months, NCIF members participated in four national workshops and countless smaller discussions to develop and shape the blueprint.
The Blueprint for the future document groups industry challenges into eight themes, such as ‘financial viability’ and ‘governance, lawfulness and compliance’, before describing in detail the specific priority challenges under each theme. Importantly, there is recognition of efforts already underway across the industry to address these challenges, and the blueprint lists these initiatives and the challenges they are working on.
There is agreement that a sustainable industry has four threads that run through it: safety, in the form of a safe and secure work environment for all; a positive and respectful culture; good productivity; and sustainability (financial).
The blueprint recommends opportunities for immediate action, as well as areas for future action. One of the immediate actions is the development of a joint construction industry charter to set clear standards for behaviour across the sector. Changing the culture of our industry is critical to unlocking long-term sustainability and productivity, and this charter would be an essential step in the right direction.
Another immediate action is to develop national consistency in procurement practices. Right now, different approaches across jurisdictions create confusion, drive up costs and lower productivity. A unified model will help lift performance across the board, improve value for money and lift industry profitability.
The blueprint also emphasises the need to implement the Culture Standard, a framework the Australian Constructors Association has been working on in partnership with the governments of New South Wales and Victoria since 2018. This standard aims to transform the industry by focusing on diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and work-life balance. With evidence supporting its positive impact, there is no reason why the broad implementation of the Culture Standard should not move forward.
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The blueprint is the product of genuine collaboration. These conversations showed that while the problems are complex, the solutions are achievable if everyone is willing to work together.
The blueprint is not the final word; it is intended to be the start of a more structured process to improve the construction industry, with the involvement of all states, territories and other key stakeholders.
The Australian Constructors Association calls on everyone in the sector to get behind this plan. Support it. Contribute to it. Be part of the change. Building a better construction industry is not just good for our sector – it’s good for the whole country.
The Blueprint for the future can be viewed on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.