Explore #FF24 themes
Content is split across 4 key themes that allow you to explore the opportunity for industry transformation.
Defining good and achieving it
Imagine a future where every construction project is completed on time and on budget, and the only newspaper headlines celebrate the sheer skill and excellence displayed in the structures being built. Picture construction companies operating with the efficiency and profitability of Tesla, investing in a thriving local manufacturing industry producing prefabricated building modules and project components in a safe, quality-controlled environment, all while significantly reducing both carbon emissions and costs to taxpayers.
This vision could position Australia as one of the most advanced countries in the world!
In this future, project owners, contractors, designers, suppliers and unions align seamlessly, working collaboratively to maximise both project and social outcomes. Beyond that, picture a scenario where everyone in the construction industry works less than 40 hours a week, women make up more than 13 per cent of the workforce and an industry wellbeing program is accessible to all. Imagine this all leading to the construction industry becoming Australia’s most sought-after employer.
This future is already beginning to unfold.
Future workforce
Strengthening the skills of the workforce is crucial for boosting productivity and the ability of workers to use technology and adapt to changes is needed for this growth. As technology drives productivity improvements, jobs will demand more cognitive and digital skills rather than just physical strength. To prepare for the future, the construction industry needs to focus on improving overall skills and quickly adapting to new technologies.
So, how can we achieve a national strategic framework for lifting the overall skill level of the construction industry? What would re-skilling to enable the workforce to adapt to new construction technologies and methodologies look like?
Financial sustainability
A profitable construction industry is in everyone’s interests. To achieve the urgently needed improvements, the industry must first become financial sustainable. If we expect the industry to invest in research and development, we must ensure that it is making a reliable and reasonable return on the capital it already employs to deliver projects. It is time for a new operating system that focuses on delivering best value, not lowest cost.
Let’s hit the system reboot button.
Data-rich future
Construction projects create an immense amount of data. Tools for leveraging this data into process efficiencies are now widely available and will become increasingly powerful with the advent of generative artificial intelligence. The key barrier to realising this digital opportunity will be the lack of a consistent approach to collecting and organising this data. The fragmented and project-driven nature of the industry makes it very difficult to meet this challenge on a firm-by-firm basis—construction data must be treated as a ‘common good.’
How can we achieve a national approach to construction data collection that collates de-identified data on all government projects from across jurisdictions in a common format and a secure environment? Can we then make the data securely available to both government and industry to leverage the latest analytical tools to reform how projects are costed, managed and delivered?