As we wind down 2025, I’ve been thinking about voices – and this year has shown how much they matter. 

The mood of 2025 has been shaped by governments tightening their purse strings and reshuffling priorities. Rapid technological change, geopolitical unease, extreme weather events and persistent cost-of-living pressures created a challenging landscape. 

Against this backdrop, communities asked increasingly insistent questions about infrastructure: how it will meet our needs today and tomorrow, and whether it can be delivered without leaving the next generation to carry the costs. 

In times like these, a strong collective voice for our industry is essential. The strength of that voice comes from you. 

Our committees, roundtables and forums have been packed with members generous with their insight, experience and candour – all with the aim of creating a better environment for consulting, design and engineering firms. Because of that, Consult Australia didn’t just respond to the agenda. We helped to set it. 

This year, our Unravelling Risk report helped shift the national conversation about a deeply entrenched dispute culture. We continued to lead discussions on digital by default and contribute to the vital work of Infrastructure Net Zero. The Consult Australia Champions of Change Group pushed forward with practical action to balance gender representation and ensure workplaces are safe and respectful. These are just a few examples. 

Our favourite articles of the year reflect the same theme – an industry navigating complexity, yet raising its voice with clarity and collective intelligence. 

Consult Australia’s member firms have delivered extraordinary results in 2025. Our annual Pause for Wellbeing campaign, now in full swing, reminds government stakeholders that people do their best work when they’re given time to rest and recharge.  

As we head into the holiday season, I hope you find the R&R you need. Our team will be doing the same, and our office will be closed from Wednesday 24 December 2025 and will reopen Monday 12 January 2026. We’ll be ready to return in 2026 with renewed energy to speak up for our members.