The national priorities to set the country up for a challenging year ahead

This week in Canberra the Core Skills Occupations List of key nationally prioritised jobs was released and included Flower Growers, Yoga Instructors, Wine Makers, Shoe Makers, Diving Instructors, Goat Farmers, Boarding Kennel Operators, Cinema Managers, and countless occupations who have not been in shortage for the past four years. Yet housing-enabling infrastructure civil occupations are left off the list.

Putting this into perspective, just to pick a few:

Flower Growers, Yoga Instructors and Cinema Managers are:

• Not in shortage anywhere in Australia or considered in national shortage for the past four years
• Can be trained here and provide jobs for Australians in a cooling economy
• Do not in any way enable one house to be delivered for a family squeezed out of the rental market.

In contrast, Earthmoving Plant Operators as well as Excavator Operators:

• Have been in shortage across Australia over the past four years, as noted by Jobs and Skills Australia
• Are not prioritised for funding for training, therefore less are able to be skilled up
• Are the first principle to build community, meaning a home can't be built if they and the civil trades have not been there first
• Can be prioritised to be trained to fill shortages that exist today.

Investment in $10-50m 'last kilometre infrastructure' and the civil skills is essential to halt the deepening housing delivery collapse.

Australia has seen housing commencements slow from 228,842 dwellings commenced in the 2021 calendar year to just under 158,752 in the 12 months to June 2024. This is over a 70,000 dwelling delivery backwards step.

So, why is this the case? One of the key contributors to this decline are skills deficits to deliver the last kilometre housing-enabling infrastructure such as roads, water, sewerage, and telecommunications.

In simplest terms, not one dollar in housing can be spent until a dollar has been spent in civil.

Homes in greenfield or brownfield developments where subdivision, water, sewerage, roads, energy transformation and other essential infrastructure will continue to be stifled whilst recognized skills shortages across civil trades compound the lack of housing underway.

There will be a time very soon when every lever and every digger bucket will be pulled to build the 240,000 homes required per year.

With 2025 just around the corner, the cost of rents and mortgages will be front of mind when the bills roll in and they will want the taxes that have already been extracted from the take home pay to be spent training, and prioritising anything that provides cost of living and housing relief. State and Federal funding that prioritises yoga instructors and flower growers as opposed to nation critical occupations will be a 'nice to have', just as having a residence is becoming for many today.

Civil Contractors Federation National ?#KeepingitCivil?

Civil Contractors Federation National ?#ConnectingCollaboratingConstructing