Master Builders Association of New South Wales

Master Builders Association of New South Wales, in partnership with the NSW Government, has officially launched a digital one-stop shop to attract, support and promote women in the building and construction industry. The new website, Women Building New South Wales, marks a significant milestone in the industry’s efforts to promote inclusivity and diversity within the industry, with a range of resources and support for women and young girls, parents, employers and consumers. Executive Director Brian Seidler said we hope providing vital resources and support will help more women pursue rewarding careers in this dynamic sector. “As one of the largest sectors, with around 150,000 businesses employing around 400,000 people, the building and construction industry plays a crucial role in the growth and prosperity across every city, town and region in NSW. “But sadly, only 15 per cent of that workforce is made up of women, and as little as 3 per cent of tradies are women. “This presents a massive opportunity for the future success of the industry with an untapped pool of the population who have an array of skills and talents to bring to the table.” The launch of the Women Building NSW website comes in the midst of chronic workforce shortages facing our sector, and at the same time, NSW struggles with a housing crisis. “Women are the key to ensuring we can unlock the door to many more homes and deliver the vital infrastructure and commercial hubs communities are crying out for,” Mr Seidler said. NSW President Bob Black said the new Women Building hub offers a wealth of resources and support to help bridge this gap. “It can be difficult to navigate all the various pathways available for women in the industry, which the hub aims to bring together.” Mr Seidler added: “We know the premise of working in a male-dominated industry can be daunting for parents of young girls who might be interested in the trades, so we want to make sure there are appropriate support networks available and clear information on the opportunities. Some of the features of the hub include:- • Detailed Job Guidebook covering over 100+ careers and job opportunities for women in trades. • Business start-up booklet for women interested in establishing a construction business. • Information for parents, teachers, and career advisors. • Information on upcoming pre-apprenticeship courses and apprenticeship employment opportunities for girls and women. • Resources for employers to recruit, retain, and support women in construction. • Register of female-led businesses in the building and construction industry. • Women ambassadors and mentors offering support and guidance. • Industry stories, networking events, and resources on gender awareness and discrimination. The project was made possible with funding from the Trade Pathways Program - Training Services NSW. More information can be found by visiting the site:- (https://lnkd.in/gNq2nFc7)

Data from Australian Forest Products Association (AFRA) and Master Builders Australia (MBA) shows from the height of the COVID pandemic until early 2024, domestic timber sales have fallen more than 500,000m³ - meaning industry has capacity for 50,000 more homes annually. This is extremely significant given MBA has forecast Australia will fall 110,000 homes short of the Federal Government’s 1.2 million homes target by 2029. Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn said, “When it comes to timber, it’s not a materials supply issue. The timber industry has signalled it has product ready to meet housing construction needs, with annual capacity for an extra 50,000 new homes. “We will continue to work with the Federal Government on ensuring policy levers are pulling in the right direction to ensure the industry and its supply chains are in the best possible position to achieve the Housing Accord targets,” Denita Wawn concluded.

The Federal Government has today given new home building across the housing spectrum a much-needed funding boost said Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn. “The key to solving the housing crisis: supply, supply, supply. “We know whether it’s social and community housing, rentals or owner-occupiers, there is not enough supply to house all Australians. “Targeted measures in social housing, student accommodation and critical infrastructure all go towards relieving some of the more acute supply pinch points. “Increased funding for critical infrastructure to support new home building reinforces the important role of commercial and civil construction in building sustainable communities. “Requiring universities to increase their supply of student accommodation is an excellent example of how Ministerial portfolios should be working together. “With a strong funding stream now locked in, Governments need to turn their minds to reducing the other barriers to housing supply like reducing the cost of building and time it takes to build. “Workforce shortages, low productivity, industrial relations and planning reforms all continue to drag down our capacity to deliver the 1.2 million homes over the next five years,” Ms Wawn said. The Government has announced the following: • $1 billion directed towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and youth under the National Housing Infrastructure Facility. This includes increasing the proportion of grants for this investment from $175 million to $700 million in the Budget to be able to support crisis and transitional housing. • $1 billion to get homes built sooner – funding for states and territories to build the roads, sewers, energy, water and community infrastructure that we need for new homes and for additional social housing supply. • A new $9.3 billion 5-year National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness – for states and territories to combat homelessness, provide crisis support and build and repair social housing. This includes a doubling of Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million every year, matched by states and territories. • Work with the higher education sector on new regulation to require universities to increase their supply of student accommodation for domestic and international students.

Yesterday, Master Builders NSW attended Equifax Australia's "Leading Changes Across Construction" event, where industry leaders convened to address the construction sector's critical challenges. The session began with insights from David Chandler OAM, NSW Building Commissioner, followed by a panel discussion featuring Brian Seidler, Executive Director of Master Builders NSW and esteemed guests such as Bronwyn Weir, Managing Director of Weir Legal and Consulting and co-author of the Building Confidence Report, Gavin Melvin, Acting CEO of UDIA NSW, Corey Nugent, CEO of Resilience Insurance and Karen Stiles, Executive Director of Owners Corporation Network of Australia Ltd (OCN). Together, they delved into various topics and proposed solutions to enhance the industry's reliability and resilience, ensuring quality housing for all Australians.

Ever think your most important job might be providing top-notch toilets? Believe it or not, being a PCBU (business) means ensuring your team has clean, safe, and accessible loos. No one should have to risk a porta-loo disaster! Consult, provide, and maintain – that's the key. Keep it clean, keep it safe, and stay compliant with SafeWork NSW regulations. Key Points:- • PCBUs must provide adequate workplace toilet facilities. • Consult with workers about toilet needs – it's essential • Portable toilets need regular servicing and maintenance. • Provide enough toilets for your workforce size. • PCBUs must manage toilet-related risks to protect worker health. Want to learn more? Check out SafeWork NSW's Portable Workplace Toilets in Construction factsheet here: (https://lnkd.in/giDxc59b)

The Federal Government’s waiving of fees for TAFE and VET courses to address a lack of workers throughout the construction industry has been endorsed by Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn, who believes it will ensure the industry is bolstered at a time when additional workers are crucial to building new houses and infrastructure. MBA has worked closely alongside the Albanese Government since its pre-budget submission, which detailed a number of policy proposals that could increase industry participation. Wawn believes that the changes will boost domestic capacity and make it easier for migrants to work in construction. “If we are going to have any chance of building enough homes we have to prioritise capacity building of the industry. Workforce shortages remain the biggest source of cost pressure and disruption for the building and construction industry.”

The Government wants to find tens of thousands of workers to help build new homes in an attempt to address Australia's ongoing housing crisis. ABC News:- (https://lnkd.in/gguZsSfZ)

Departing Building Commissioner David Chandler OAM believes his successor will be able to “weed out” and rescind the building licences of the state’s riskiest developers but has urged consumers to use the unprecedented powers given to them before purchasing a property. Having announced he would not renew his contract after five years in the job, Chandler said the industry was improving, and there had been a declining number of serious defects reported in buildings constructed since 2019. Chandler said the next building commissioner would be able to build on his tenure but would face a “very different frontier” than the “real arm-wrestle” he confronted with “the worst players that the industry has seen”. After telling the Herald in January that up to 20 per cent of property developers in NSW were “risky”, Chandler said the Building Commission was using numerous data inputs to profile developers and detect potential “red flags”.

After 5 years, the NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler OAM says it's time for him to hang up his helmet. He spoke to Sarah Macdonald this morning to explain why. ABC Listen:- (https://lnkd.in/gJb9Yp-p) ABC News:- (https://lnkd.in/gB87ecEx)

Today, the Federal Government has taken meaningful steps to reduce barriers to growing the building and construction workforce, according to Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn. “Master Builders has long advocated that we must do more to boost our domestic capacity and make it easier for migrants to work in the industry. “We have worked closely with the government to make these policies a reality and thank Minister O’Connor and Minister Collins for responding to our concerns. “If we are going to have any chance of building enough homes we have to prioritise capacity building of the industry. “Workforce shortages remain the biggest source of cost pressure and disruption for the building and construction industry. “Despite a sizeable workforce of 1.35 million Australians, the industry has an annual exit rate of eight per cent, and we are only replacing half of those people per year. “Our recent report into productivity found prolonged labour shortages are reducing industry output by $50 billion dollars and thousands of homes over the next five years.” In its pre-budget submissions, Master Builders put forward several policy proposals to increase participation in the industry. Ms Wawn added: “The announcement of Fee-Free TAFE and VET places rightfully recognises the role of not-for-profit industry-led registered training organisations in training the next generation of tradies. “It’s now up to state and territory governments to ensure industry-run RTOs are held on equal footing with TAFE. “Industry-run RTOs like those run by Master Builders associations around the country have excellent retention and completion rates, provide pastoral care and support to apprentices that help them find success in their trade. “We know in the short-term the domestic workforce cannot keep up with demand. Skilled migration represents a vital piece of the puzzle. “The investment into prioritising and streamlining skills assessments for potential migrants and those already in the country is welcome news. “For many migrants, it is simply too hard to have their professional capacity recognised to work in a trade in Australia, and they are instead in roles that present fewer hurdles to obtain. “The Parkinson Migration Review found skills assessments or qualification recognition can take up to 18 months and cost nearly $10,000; time and money people simply don’t have in this economic climate. “There is still a long way to go and Master Builders will continue to work closely with the government to ensure we make the building and construction industry as attractive as possible.”