Overview
CCAA has maintained a substantial advocacy program throughout 2026, with activity concentrated on securing the long-term supply of heavy construction materials, improving planning and approvals, protecting strategic extractive resources, lifting freight productivity and ensuring regulatory settings support investment and the delivery of housing and infrastructure.
Across jurisdictions, CCAA has strengthened engagement with Ministers, departments and regulators while increasingly using evidence-based advocacy to demonstrate the economic and strategic importance of cement, concrete and aggregates. By August 2026, CCAA had lodged 33 submissions for the year, with major themes including quarry approvals and land-use protection, resource access, biodiversity and EPBC reform, heavy vehicles, workplace safety, sustainable procurement and construction supply-chain productivity.
Several significant policy outcomes have been achieved or progressed during the year. These include government-funded construction-materials supply studies in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales; major quarry and freight reform initiatives in Queensland; reforms to Victorian quarry rehabilitation bonds; and the successful national campaign to retain the existing Respirable Crystalline Silica Workplace Exposure Standard.
Queensland
Queensland has been one of CCAA’s most active jurisdictions in 2026, with advocacy increasingly focused on ensuring the supply of heavy construction materials can keep pace with South East Queensland’s unprecedented infrastructure, housing and population growth.
A major focus has been strengthening the evidence base around future quarry and sand supply. The updated South East Queensland Heavy Construction Materials Supply and Demand Assessment was completed in August, demonstrating that forecast annual hard-rock demand will considerably exceed cumulative annual quarry production caps. The work strengthens the case for protecting strategic resources, enabling responsible brownfield expansion and improving freight productivity.
CCAA has used this evidence to develop a comprehensive Queensland Heavy Construction Materials Reform Agenda covering strategic resource protection, planning and approvals, quarry operating constraints, freight productivity, sustainable procurement, workforce capability and investment certainty. Through engagement with the Premier’s Special Commissioner, the Hon Andrew Cripps, CCAA has achieved in-principle government support for a Ministerial-level, cross-portfolio industry-government reform process to progress these priorities.
There has also been significant progress on quarry operating constraints. CCAA sought legislative mechanisms to enable temporary and targeted quarry production and operating-hour uplifts above existing local government development-approval limits. The State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, introduced in June, provides options to enable these uplifts where required.
Freight productivity has developed into another major workstream. CCAA secured Transport and Main Roads’ in-principle support for a construction-materials logistics productivity initiative initially targeting 44 priority South East Queensland freight routes, with the potential for accredited PBS fleets to carry approximately 10 per cent more payload where safety and engineering requirements are met. Funding has also been attracted to investigate telematics as a means of supporting Higher Mass Limit access, curfew concessions and improved local-government road access while maintaining safety and compliance assurance.
Sustainability and technical reform have also progressed. CCAA secured government agreement to improve the treatment of ‘waste’ and ‘resources’ under Queensland’s regulatory framework to support workable recycled aggregate and concrete End-of-Waste Codes. A TMR-CCAA partnership has also been established to identify additional applications for recycled aggregates and construction materials.
TMR has also supported a low-carbon concrete procurement project and collaborative adoption pathways based on performance, cost and technical evidence, including greater use of supplementary cementitious materials and performance-based specifications.
More broadly, CCAA has established strategic partnerships with Resources Safety and Health Queensland, the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation and Transport and Main Roads to strengthen government-industry collaboration across regulatory, environmental, safety and transport priorities. CCAA has also secured an invitation to participate in the Housing Minister’s Building Materials Advisory Committee, providing another avenue for the industry to contribute directly to policy affecting Queensland’s construction task.
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
In New South Wales, CCAA’s central advocacy theme has been the need for a coordinated long-term heavy construction materials strategy to support the State’s housing and infrastructure pipeline.
A major outcome was securing a commitment from Investment NSW to undertake a heavy construction-materials supply-chain study, expected to report during the third quarter of 2026. CCAA has continued to engage Investment NSW and the Resources portfolio on future construction-material and sand requirements.
Planning reform has been another significant focus. CCAA has advocated for construction-material supply to be explicitly recognised in strategic planning and has publicly linked the State’s housing pipeline with the need to protect industrial land, maintain quarry access and improve approval timeframes.
Freight productivity advocacy has also gathered momentum. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey used a CCAA industry event during Budget week to indicate support for retaining higher-mass heavy-vehicle productivity gains introduced during the fuel-supply disruption and for pursuing broader productivity reform. He also supported modernisation of Transport for NSW concrete and cement requirements to facilitate innovation, greater use of supplementary cementitious materials and lower-emissions construction.
CCAA is working with Austroads and Transport for NSW on telematics-based approaches to improve last-mile access and continues engagement on the Great Western Highway and other freight constraints affecting member operations.
CCAA has also maintained a technical policy dialogue with Transport for NSW on matters including cement-data requirements, concrete specifications, supplementary cementitious materials and practical barriers to innovation.
On biodiversity reform, CCAA lodged a submission on proposed NSW Biodiversity Conservation amendments. CCAA has argued that the proposed approach does not adequately address industry concerns and could add costs and complexity to quarry approvals, particularly as NSW and Commonwealth biodiversity and EPBC frameworks are brought into closer alignment.
CCAA also played an active role in the NSW component of the national RCS campaign, including direct engagement with Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis. NSW ultimately opposed the proposal to halve the silica exposure standard.
In the ACT, engagement has included discussions with Chief Minister Andrew Barr on construction-material innovation and decarbonisation, as well as government engagement on fuel-cost pressures affecting infrastructure contracts.
Victoria
Victorian advocacy has been strongly focused on protecting strategic quarry resources, improving approval processes and containing the cumulative regulatory and cost burden affecting extractive-industry investment and the supply of heavy construction materials.
With the 2026 State Election approaching, CCAA has increased engagement across the political spectrum to advance the industry’s priorities. This has included direct engagement with Ministers, Members of Parliament, party representatives and government agencies on resource security, more efficient approvals, competitive fees and taxes, cultural heritage processes and regulatory settings that support investment and the sustainable supply of materials required for housing and infrastructure.
Throughout the year CCAA has continued engagement with the Victorian Government on the implementation and remaining rollout of Strategic Extractive Resource Areas, with the objective of protecting strategically important quarry resources from incompatible development and ensuring future materials remain available close to growing markets.
CCAA has also been closely engaged in the transition to the new duty-based Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act framework. While aspects of the reform have progressed positively, CCAA has continued to raise concerns around implementation, regulatory burden, approval efficiency and the speed of transition.
A significant outcome during the year was the Victorian Government’s approval of interim quarry rehabilitation bond reforms that could be implemented without legislative amendment. CCAA continues to advocate on the second stage of reforms and on ensuring rehabilitation financial assurance arrangements are proportionate and do not unnecessarily constrain industry investment.
Quarry regulatory fees have emerged as a major advocacy issue following the Victorian Government’s decision to substantially increase fees applying to the extractive and mineral industries. CCAA has strongly opposed the scale of the increases and highlighted their cumulative impact alongside other regulatory, taxation, energy, labour and operating costs, warning of consequences for investment, regional producers and the cost of supplying materials for Victorian housing and infrastructure.
The issue was brought directly before Parliament in August, with CCAA engaging Members of Parliament and party representatives from across the political spectrum. The Hon David Davis MP subsequently moved a motion in the Legislative Council seeking to disallow the new fee regulations. CCAA publicly supported the disallowance, but the motion was defeated. The fee increases were also raised during Question Time, where CCAA’s concerns about their impact on quarry operating costs, housing and infrastructure were directly referenced.
Following the vote, CCAA has continued to call on the Victorian Government to engage directly with industry and find a reasonable path forward on the new fees, while maintaining its broader advocacy for a more efficient, competitive and investment-supportive regulatory environment.
Freight and logistics have also become increasingly prominent following fuel-supply disruptions. CCAA participated, at the invitation of Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne, in the Victorian Freight Industry Fuel Response Forum and has engaged Freight Victoria, the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority and ministerial offices seeking workable fuel-cost escalation and pass-through arrangements on government infrastructure contracts.
CCAA is also opposing proposed WorkSafe changes that could result in quarries being treated as mining operations for regulatory purposes, with potentially significant competency and cost implications for quarry operators.
South Australia and Northern Territory
South Australia has produced one of CCAA’s clearest advocacy outcomes for the year.
Ahead of the State election, CCAA developed and distributed a dedicated South Australian Election Policy Priorities document to political parties and independents. This was supported by ministerial and departmental engagement focused on construction-materials planning, approvals, infrastructure delivery and workforce issues.
The most significant outcome was a $300,000 South Australian Government commitment to develop a Heavy Construction Materials Plan / Supply Strategy. This represents a material step towards embedding long-term construction-material demand, resource availability and supply-chain requirements into State infrastructure and planning policy.
By August, Infrastructure SA was progressing the strategy and preparing a detailed validation session with the CCAA State Committee to test emerging findings against industry conditions.
CCAA has maintained high-level engagement with Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Mining Tom Koutsantonis and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs, alongside relevant agencies responsible for planning, environment, resources and infrastructure. Ministerial roundtables and CCAA events have provided forums to reinforce the industry’s role in delivering South Australia’s infrastructure and housing pipeline.
Freight productivity has also advanced, with South Australia securing Government approval for all PBS vehicles to access state roads. CCAA is continuing to advocate for broader network access, including for PBS-approved concrete agitators on council-owned roads, early starts for concrete pours and improved rise-and-fall provisions to better account for fuel and other cost movements.
On approvals reform, CCAA is engaging government on improved groundwater guidance and an AI-supported initial screening process designed to identify information gaps in quarry applications earlier and reduce repeated requests during assessment.
In the Northern Territory, CCAA has maintained engagement with government and regulators on RCS, resource-sector policy and the national jurisdictional planning scorecard, with construction-materials planning and supply security remaining central themes.
Tasmania
Tasmanian advocacy has focused on improving planning and approvals, protecting strategic resources and strengthening government understanding of the construction-materials industry’s role in the State economy.
Early in the year, CCAA engaged directly with Ministers responsible for Resources and Infrastructure and lodged a submission on the Draft Southern Tasmania Regional Plan. CCAA also participated in the Tasmania First Taskforce and continued discussions with government on reforming approvals and regulatory processes.
CCAA engagement with the EPA and Mineral Resources Tasmania has continued following earlier industry-government workshops, with the objective of producing more efficient and predictable environmental and resource approval pathways.
By mid-year, engagement had broadened to include Ministers responsible for business, industry and resources, Aboriginal affairs and the environment, while Treasurer Eric Abetz participated in a CCAA Industry Insights Budget Lunch.
CCAA has lodged a submission on Tasmania’s draft Aboriginal Heritage Bill and continues to engage on proposed Mineral Resources Development Act amendments and rehabilitation arrangements.
CCAA also secured recognition from the Tasmanian Government of the construction-materials industry’s importance to fuel security during the 2026 supply disruption. While broad retrospective cost relief has not been provided, this engagement strengthened recognition of the sector as an essential component of the State’s infrastructure supply chain.
Western Australia
CCAA’s Western Australian advocacy has combined long-term materials-supply planning with planning approvals reform, environmental policy, technical engagement and infrastructure delivery.
A major outcome was the Western Australian Government’s allocation of $400,000 for a construction-materials supply-and-demand study. Infrastructure WA’s demand work is now progressing and will provide an important evidence base for future infrastructure, planning and quarry policy.
CCAA has undertaken extensive government engagement, including with Ministers responsible for infrastructure, planning, lands and housing; State Development; mines and petroleum; and climate resilience and environment. Discussions have covered infrastructure delivery, planning and quarry approvals, strategic construction-material supply and environmental reform.
Planning approvals remain a major focus. Following a dedicated CCAA approvals workshop, advocacy is continuing for a low or zero investment threshold that would enable quarry proposals to move from local-government assessment into Development Assessment Panels, reducing local political risk and providing greater investment certainty.
The Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration is also considering a stronger role in identifying and assessing quarries that are strategically important to Western Australia.
CCAA has also re-established its quarterly technical forum with Main Roads Western Australia, providing a regular industry-government mechanism to address technical and specification matters, including specifications, VPV testing, decarbonisation initiatives and other issues affecting the use and performance of construction materials.
Environmental advocacy has included submissions on the Beyond Waste Strategy, species recovery planning and the Carabooda District Structure Plan, together with continued support for streamlined approvals and potential one-stop-shop models.
CCAA has also continued engagement with the Deputy Premier, Treasury and Main Roads WA on fuel-cost recovery and rise-and-fall mechanisms and with government on a potential Commonwealth–Western Australia EPBC bilateral agreement.
National advocacy supporting state outcomes
The State advocacy program has been reinforced by several significant national initiatives spanning workplace safety, environmental reform, resource security, sustainable procurement, technical standards, workforce capability and heavy-vehicle productivity.
Most significantly, CCAA was a key contributor to a coordinated industry campaign opposing Safe Work Australia’s proposal to halve the Respirable Crystalline Silica Workplace Exposure Standard from 0.05 mg/m³ to 0.025 mg/m³, while supporting evidence-based measures to improve worker safety. CCAA wrote to WHS Ministers, engaged Safe Work Australia and government officials, briefed Resources Ministers and coordinated detailed technical evidence through its RCS Working Group. WHS Ministers ultimately retained the existing 0.05 mg/m³ standard, providing regulatory certainty across jurisdictions.
CCAA also convened a National RCS Workshop and developed proposals for a national cement, concrete and aggregates industry RCS Strategy focused on improved industry collaboration and risk management, industry data benchmarking and research.
CCAA has continued extensive national advocacy on EPBC and Nature Positive reforms, lodging seven detailed submissions across the EPBC reform, National Environmental Standards and implementation processes. This advocacy helped secure important recognition of staged development, progressive rehabilitation and progressive offset delivery in the final standards. CCAA has also developed a coordinated industry approach to single-desk approvals, bioregional planning and transitional arrangements for established quarries affected by continuous-use provisions.
Sustainable procurement and technical reform have formed another significant national workstream. CCAA’s advocacy complements work underway through the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting, including the Embodied Carbon Measurement for Infrastructure: Technical Guidance, the National Sustainable Procurement in Infrastructure Guideline and the National Embodied Carbon Databook. CCAA is also supporting the proposed revision of AS 3972 to enable greater use of lower-carbon cement products and supplementary cementitious materials, alongside greater use of third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations and consistent carbon measurement to support lower-carbon infrastructure procurement.
Workforce capability has also been a national priority. CCAA has used the 2026 AUSMASA workforce findings to demonstrate the scale of skills shortages across key quarry occupations and contributed directly to Industry Skills Australia’s National Heavy Vehicle Driver Action Plan through participation on its advisory group. National priorities have been developed around workforce attraction, training and licensing pathways, retention and wellbeing, diversity and more proportionate competency arrangements.
The National Heavy Vehicle Workshop in May created a platform for a consolidated industry reform agenda across productivity, safety, decarbonisation and workforce matters. Council subsequently endorsed the development of a formal CCAA Heavy Vehicle Agenda by the end of 2026, with reform proposals progressing around earned recognition, telematics-supported access, practical fatigue settings and a national heavy-vehicle driver apprenticeship pathway.
Finally, the Best-Practice Planning Principles and Jurisdictional Scorecard is being developed as a long-term advocacy tool to benchmark jurisdictions against strategic resource identification, demand and supply forecasting, resource protection, approval efficiency and workable project conditions. The intention is to provide CCAA with a consistent evidence base for future planning and resource-security reform across every State and Territory.
Summary
The strongest feature of CCAA’s 2026 advocacy to date is the movement from individual policy interventions towards more systemic construction-materials reform.
Government-funded supply studies are now progressing in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, while Queensland has moved into a broader reform discussion covering quarry capacity, resource protection, planning, freight and investment certainty. Victoria continues to be a major regulatory advocacy focus, particularly around quarry costs, rehabilitation and resource protection, while Tasmania is seeing increasingly structured engagement on planning, resource and approval reform.
Collectively, these developments demonstrate increasing government recognition that cement, concrete and aggregates cannot be treated simply as downstream construction inputs. Secure access to these materials is fundamental to housing delivery, infrastructure investment and the energy transition, and requires deliberate policy settings around resource protection, approvals, freight and long-term supply planning.