Infrastructure Australia’s latest Infrastructure Market Capacity Report, released in December, lays out an acute challenge. We need an extra 229,000 workers just to meet the current public infrastructure pipeline.
Australia’s infrastructure workforce must grow by a massive 127% to meet demand, and Infrastructure Australia calls out engineers as a profession in particular shortage.
Our own work, however, confirms that those businesses operating at the front end of projects – many of them members of Consult Australia – have no supply chain visibility beyond the next six months.
This creates uncertainty, erodes confidence and creates a vicious circle where businesses can’t risk investing in a future they cannot clearly see.
I know this is not an unfamiliar message to Consult Australia members. We have been prosecuting this case to governments for many years now.
But in 2024 none of Australia’s priorities – whether that’s building the infrastructure for a nation of 27 million people, delivering affordable housing, meeting the net zero transition or bolstering our defence capability – can be achieved without the expertise of Consult Australia members.
This narrative is one that will run through every activity and advocacy effort of our team this year. You can read more about our ambitious advocacy agenda in this issue of Consulting Matters.
How market capacity aligns with the Defence Strategic Review and the net zero transition will be a hot topic on Thursday 29 February when we host Collab X. Presented in partnership with Australia’s Defence Security and Estate Group, Collab X will explore where collaborative action can take us in 2024. Tickets are still available for this not-to-be-missed event.
Also not be missed is our Awards for Excellence gala on Thursday 14 March at the ICC in Sydney. Join us as we cheer on nation-building projects and teams.
Looking a little further afield, our Digital by Default campaign will ramp up in 2024. Following our green paper and industry consultations in 2023, we will present a white paper to governments with one powerful message. A digital by default approach can create certainty and confidence so businesses can invest in innovation and skills, leverage their intellectual property and manage risk – all productivity boosters our nation needs.
We are proud to be champions for the success of our members and this year we are also encouraging our members to celebrate their leadership. Our Code of Ethics distinguishes Consult Australia members through their commitment to collaboration, fairness and integrity, and this year we are encouraging all our members to celebrate that commitment with their teams, clients and industry peers. Look out for our new Member logo and Code of Ethics branding as it speaks to these values and the standards our members uphold with their clients and the community.
As we step up for our members in 2024, there is one quick way you can help. Complete our Capacity and Confidence survey before 4 March to share your views and inform our advocacy efforts this year. Fifteen minutes of your time will give us the evidence base we need to champion pipeline visibility and create greater certainty and confidence in 2024 and beyond.