Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed the Business Council of Australia’s Building Australia’s Tomorrow report and its practical roadmap to deliver infrastructure with lower embodied carbon, fewer bottlenecks, and improved productivity.
The report highlights the important role of government in supporting the heavy construction materials sector to ensure that future supply is both sufficient and predictable, particularly where land-use trade-offs are required.
CCAA Chief Executive Michael Kilgariff said the report provides clear validation for industry-led work already underway and sets out sensible actions for governments.
“The Business Council of Australia has added its voice to our calls for state-specific heavy construction material plans to give the construction sector long-term certainty,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“Quarries and concrete batching plants need a clear, coordinated approach to ensure the supply of essential materials keeps pace with the nation’s infrastructure and housing needs.
“The focus of any materials plan should be on ensuring that supply is both efficient and affordable, supporting reliability and sustainability across the infrastructure sector.
“Such plans should also be supported by efficient quarry approvals, high-productivity freight routes, operating conditions that enable just-in-time delivery of materials and strategies to attract and retain a skilled workforce.
“CCAA and our members are committed to working with governments and providing detailed evidence in support of tailored, implementable heavy construction materials plans.”
The report also supports a shift to performance-based specifications for concrete, an approach long advocated by CCAA.
“This report backs a shift to performance-based specifications so engineers can choose the right, lower-carbon mixes without being handcuffed by overspecification,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“We need procurement that buys performance, not ingredients. Performance-based specs with clear assurance pathways will pull low-carbon concrete into mainstream delivery while maintaining the safety and durability Australians expect.
“Australia’s future infrastructure depends on materials that are reliable, lower in carbon, and locally made.
“Through even closer collaboration, industry and government can build a supply chain that delivers for both the economy and the environment for generations to come.”