Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed Infrastructure NSW’s updated infrastructure pipeline, saying the scale of planned investment reinforces the need to secure the local supply of the cement, concrete and aggregates required to deliver it.
The pipeline points to significant construction activity across transport, water, renewable energy, health, education and regional infrastructure, with a substantial number of major projects progressing towards procurement and construction.
The cement, concrete and aggregates industry already contributes $4.27 billion to New South Wales’ Gross State Product and supports 19,218 jobs, highlighting its significant role in the State’s economy and construction supply chain. CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff said the pipeline demonstrated the enormous task ahead for the construction industry and the importance of planning for the materials needed to turn infrastructure commitments into reality.
“Every road, rail line, hospital, school, water project and energy development in this pipeline will require significant volumes of heavy construction materials,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“Governments cannot plan billions of dollars of infrastructure investment without also planning for the materials needed to build it.
“NSW is entering another significant period of infrastructure delivery, and maintaining reliable access to locally sourced heavy construction materials must be treated as a fundamental part of that task.”
Major projects across the pipeline include Sydney Metro West, Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2, major road upgrades, renewable energy transmission infrastructure and substantial water and health infrastructure programs. Mr Kilgariff said many of these projects would require large volumes of heavy construction materials over extended construction periods.
“Heavy construction materials are high-volume products that are best sourced as close as possible to where they are used. The further they need to travel, the greater the cost, congestion, emissions and pressure on the road network,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“That makes protecting strategically located quarry resources, maintaining industrial land, providing efficient freight access and ensuring timely planning and environmental approvals critical to infrastructure delivery.
“A strong infrastructure pipeline provides industry with important visibility, but it must be matched by the regulatory certainty needed for businesses to invest in quarries, concrete plants, cement facilities, equipment and people.
“Those investments are substantial and long-term. Industry needs confidence that strategically important resources will remain accessible and that approvals processes will allow new and expanded supply to come online when it is needed.
“If NSW wants to deliver its infrastructure ambitions efficiently and affordably, heavy construction materials cannot be an afterthought. They need to be planned for from the beginning.”