The report tracks national demand to build across more than $1 trillion of government and private investment in Australian public infrastructure against the market’s capacity to deliver on that demand in terms of workers and materials. It outlines progress made by governments over the last 12 months and provides recommended future opportunities for the next 12 months.

The research offers an evidence base to strengthen national coordination, ensuring that infrastructure investment is both achievable and sustainable. It helps governments better sequence their project pipelines by providing a clearer view of the workforce and materials needed.

The report recommends investing in innovations that can boost productivity and efficiency in the long run. It also recommends the development of consistent nationwide training programs to upskill workers in these innovations. The report is accompanied by supporting appendices.

Key findings

• The nation’s five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline has grown $29 billion over the past year to reach $242 billion – its highest level since the agency began tracking nationwide government infrastructure investment five years ago.
• The growth is largely driven by government investment in energy transmission and housing projects.
• The industry is currently short of 141,000 workers needed to deliver the five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline.
• Worker shortages and stagnating productivity across the construction sector present a significant challenge to project delivery.

Note: The Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline is made up of publicly funded infrastructure projects valued over $100 million in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and over $50 million in South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.