“The 2024 Infrastructure Australia Infrastructure Market Capacity Report confirms that securing an efficient, sustainable, and affordable supply of heavy construction materials is essential to delivering Australia’s $1.08 trillion 5-year construction pipeline”, said Michael Kilgariff, CEO of Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA).
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, which are essential to the building and construction sectors.
“The 2024 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report reconfirms that challenges such as material shortages, cost pressures, logistics and regulatory approvals continue to have an impact, particularly in the supply and sustainability of essential construction materials: cement, concrete, aggregate, and sand”, said Mr Kilgariff.
“For example, the Market Capacity Report highlights that concrete is the most in demand construction material, with 137 million tonnes required over five years for infrastructure projects.
“The call for a nationally coordinated strategy to stabilise raw material supplies and ensure continuity is welcomed by CCAA.
“An essential component of this strategy would be to expedite quarry approvals, as the availability of raw materials like aggregates and sand requires fast-tracking approvals for quarry expansions to meet growing demand in the right place at the right time, particularly where urban encroachment threatens existing resources.
“The report also promotes circular economy principles such as recycling of demolition materials to ease reliance on natural resources and emphasises policy reforms to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon cement and concrete, aligning with Australia’s net-zero goals.
“Industry is already well progressed on these issues, with government regulation often a barrier to progress.
“The key message remains that concrete, aggregate and sand are the dominant materials facilitating affordable, lower carbon building and infrastructure.
“The closer materials are to where they’re needed, and the more governments streamline approvals and support industry-led recycling initiatives, the better the outcomes for our common goals.
“The heavy construction materials industry is not only critical to Australia’s $1.08 trillion construction program, including the $213 billion five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline, but also central to achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future.
“By implementing the recommendations of the 2024 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report and embracing a unified, circular economy approach, Australia can secure the materials needed to deliver world-class infrastructure while reducing environmental impact.
“CCAA stands ready to work with government and industry to turn these ambitions into reality, ensuring the nation’s construction and infrastructure needs are met efficiently, sustainably, and innovatively.”