Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) notes the release of the Federal Government’s National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) and National Adaptation Plan, and their strong focus on embedding climate risk and resilience into how Australia plans, designs and procures infrastructure and buildings.
“CCAA notes the Government’s intent to strengthen Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework so proposals explicitly address climate risk and resilience, and this will be a game-changer for procurement,” said Michael Kilgariff, Chief Executive Officer, CCAA.
“Tender scoring will recognise materials and designs that deliver long service life, lower maintenance and proven performance under heat, flood, fire and coastal hazards.
“Aligning codes and standards will be critical to avoid fragmented requirements.
“Making climate resilience a specific objective for the Australian Building Codes Board and the National Construction Code—and considering future climate files and heatwave metrics—will help shift procurement toward performance-based specifications that reward durable, hazard-resistant solutions,” he said.
CCAA also welcomed the revised land transport funding arrangements that require whole-of-life resilience in major investments, and the national guidance for risk assessment and adaptation planning in transport assets.
“This rightly moves purchasing decisions beyond lowest upfront cost to whole-of-life outcomes,” Mr Kilgariff said.
The National Adaptation Plan confirms mandatory climate-risk disclosure for large businesses and ongoing disclosure in the Commonwealth sector—signals that will flow into supplier information requirements in public tenders.
CCAA noted the initial Australian sustainable finance taxonomy already covers construction and buildings, with possible expansion to adaptation and resilience.
“Procurement will increasingly reference the taxonomy. It must recognise adaptation performance—durability, service life and hazard resistance—alongside decarbonisation,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“The direction is clear: governments want assets that last and perform under future climates. Concrete—specified through performance-based pathways—can deliver that resilience while supporting circular outcomes,” Mr Kilgariff said.
CCAA is committed to working with Infrastructure Australia, Building Ministers and Treasury to align procurement guidance, data and disclosures, and to avoid maladaptation by ensuring solutions do not increase long-term risk.