Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has released its Western Australia 2025 Election Policy Priorities, urging the incoming Western Australian Government to develop a comprehensive Heavy Construction Materials Plan to ensure the sustainable supply of materials that are essential to fuel the growth of Western Australia.
CCAA is the voice of the heavy construction materials industry in Australia, an industry that generates approximately $15 billion in annual revenue and directly employs 30,000 Australians, with a further 80,000 employed indirectly. CCAA members produce the majority of Australia’s cement, concrete, and aggregates, essential to the building and construction sectors.
The CCAA WA 2025 Election Policy Priorities emphasise the need for urgent reforms to ensure a secure, affordable supply of heavy construction materials. This includes establishing a permanent Quarry Approvals Coordinator, streamlining planning approvals, protecting key quarries and batch plants from urban encroachment, and encouraging performance-based specifications to facilitate decarbonisation and the circular economy.
“As Western Australia embarks on major infrastructure projects to drive its future growth, the heavy construction materials industry will play an indispensable role in delivering these projects sustainably and efficiently,” said Michael Kilgariff, CEO of CCAA.
“The rising complexity of approvals and regulations in Western Australia has been recognised as having a direct impact on the cost of raw materials, which in turn is driving up construction costs. This affects not only infrastructure projects but also housing affordability. If we don’t address these barriers, the industry will struggle to meet the state’s growing needs,” said Michael Kilgariff, CEO of CCAA, referencing the challenges outlined in the recent Business News article Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
“Western Australia’s future infrastructure pipeline will require an unprecedented volume of materials. From housing subdivisions to major infrastructure, these materials account for an average of 29% of project costs,” he said. “An efficient supply chain is at risk, however, due to a slow and complex approvals process, encroachment on key resources, and increasing demand. Without action, we could see project delays and rising costs, which will impact housing affordability and infrastructure delivery across the state.
“Public procurement practices that reflect government policies on reducing emissions are also critical to the sustainable supply of critical heavy construction materials, by enabling changes that deliver on our collective decarbonisation goals.
“It is essential that the incoming Western Australian Government leads these reforms through the development of a Heavy Construction Materials Plan to support a sustainable construction sector and ensure the timely delivery of critical infrastructure.
CCAA looks forward to engaging with policymakers and industry stakeholders to secure the future of Western Australia’s infrastructure and economic growth.