August 2025
Clearing the roadblocks
Advocacy wins pave the way for reform
"Three months to award a tender. Six months to negotiate a contract. These are just two of the systemic inefficiencies Consult Australia raised with the Queensland Productivity Commission. And the message has been heard."
Reinstated by the Crisafulli Government in April 2025, the Commission’s first inquiry examines how policy and regulation are affecting Queensland’s construction sector.
The Commission’s Interim Report, released in July, cites many of Consult Australia’s recommendations, recognising that low productivity is deeply embedded in policy, procurement and regulation.
“It’s a clear signal that our advocacy is being heard,” says Kristine Banks, Consult Australia’s National Policy Manager.
“We’ve long pushed for changes that better reflect the realities of our sector. To see procurement reform, digital innovation and labour hire licensing issues picked up by the Commission is a big win for our members.”
Consult Australia’s wins
Here’s where Consult Australia’s advocacy is making headway:
✓ Procurement reform as productivity lever: QPC identifies poor procurement practices as a major drag on productivity. The Commission now wants more insights into whether government agencies have the capability, and what support they need, to implement reform.
✓ Support for collaborative contracting: Consult Australia’s push for early involvement and fairer risk allocation is gaining traction. QPC described current contract models as “outdated, cumbersome, and preventing innovation” and is now seeking examples of successful collaborative models.
✓ Digital by default: Consult Australia urged a shift away from “digital by exception” mindsets. QPC agreed, calling for greater use of digital tools. We will now provide case studies of where and how it’s working.
✓ Visibility of a whole-of-government pipeline: QPC backed our call for integrated capital works planning to smooth the pipeline, improve capacity planning and avoid overheating the market. Next, we’ll share ways government can improve selection, prioritisation and staging of infrastructure projects.
✓ Reducing regulatory burden: QPC acknowledged that regulatory red tape constrains productivity, and echoed our concerns about labour hire laws, which disproportionately affect our members who do not operate as traditional labour hire providers.
✓ Supporting occupational mobility: We highlighted that over 90% of our small business members operate across jurisdictions. QPC agreed that current licensing models stifle productivity and mobility.
✓ Ending excessive insurance and inappropriate risk allocation: The Commission agreed that risk allocation is a procurement challenge in need of reform. In the next round we will share successful approaches that improve risk allocation.
Next steps
As Consult Australia works on its response to the Interim Report, members are encouraged to share case studies of successful digital delivery, examples of collaborative contracting in practice and ways governments can help with infrastructure staging.
“In our submission, we shared the horror stories. Firms forced to wait three months for tender decisions while holding resources in limbo. Agencies asking firms to register joint ventures at pre-qualification stage before a bid is even successful. These stories were powerful – now we need to hear your positive ones,” Kristine adds.
Download Consult Australia’s Queensland Productivity Commission Construction Productivity Inquiry submission, learn more about our advocacy efforts, read our latest advocacy wins, or contact Kristine Banks to share your stories and help us drive reform that benefits your business and our industry.