22/08/2025

August 22, 2025

🏗 🚧 🌏 🛠 🚀 🦺 ♻ 🤖 🧱 🏛 🧰

THE MORNING PAPER FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS AND TRADIES

🚨 Safety Updates

Unions are pushing for a legal maximum of 27°C cut-off point for trades such as scaffolders, roofers, brickies, carpenters, and painters and decorators Under proposals developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), tradespeople could soon have the right to stop work.

SafeWork NSW is conducting targeted compliance checks on construction sites on the Central Coast this week. Inspectors will focus on SafeWork NSW’s regulatory priorities and harms which cause the greatest risk to workers.

A mining fabrication company has been fined $500,000 (and ordered to pay more than $6,500 in costs) over an incident in which a worker was seriously injured by a falling metal plate.

✒ Headlines & Industry

With the 2032 Brisbane Olympics approaching, Queensland’s construction sector faces major challenges: soaring costs, material shortages, and a lack of skilled labour. Thousands of workers, tonnes of materials, and upgraded public amenities are urgently needed. Without immediate action, the risk of delays, industrial disputes, and inadequate facilities looms large.

Brisbane’s economy has surged past $200 billion for the first time, with new figures confirming the city’s position as one of the fastest-growing urban economies in Australia and the Asia Pacific.The report found employment has jumped by 274,000 since 2020, as the city undergoes a historic infrastructure transformation ahead of the 2032 Olympics, with a pipeline of major projects now exceeding $100 billion.

Bottlenecks in the supply chain of building materials need to be addressed. Supply chain pressures in Queensland’s civil construction sector are no longer short-term disruptions – they’re long-term structural risks that threaten to derail major projects across the state.

🏗️ Projects

NT

Road safety upgrades are coming to Amy Johnson Avenue at the Boulter Road intersection. Works include lane extensions, drainage, lighting, line marking, and landscaping. Construction runs from late August to December 2025

QLD

Works have now wrapped up on the delivery of a duplicated section of the Bruce Highway between the Mackay Ring Road and Bald Hill Road, in Queensland. Key features of the completed works include two new dual-lane overpass bridges and a new port rail overpass as well as an upgraded intersection at Bald Hill Road.

A development application has been lodged for a five-storey mixed-use development, located at 55, 59, 61 & 63 Tingal Road, Wynnum. Designed by Tonic Architecture + Design, the proposal features 26 three-four bedroom apartments within a residential building with a maximum height of 5 storeys.

VIC

Celebrating 100 Years of Hansen Yuncken in Shepparton For over a century, Hansen Yuncken has been part of Shepparton’s story – building not just infrastructure, but enduring relationships, local capability, and community pride.

An 85 MW solar farm and a 70 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) has received fast-tracked approval by the Victorian government through the government’s development facilitation program (DFP)..Located 3.8 kilometres southwest of Bairnsdale, 280 kilometres east of Melbourne, the proposed Ballantine Solar Farm and BESS project is to be built on agricultural land and may include sheep grazing withing the facility.

Victoria has unveiled its first long-term transmission strategy, outlining how renewable energy zones and grid upgrades will underpin the state’s shift away from coal-fired power. The 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan, released this week by VicGrid, maps out transmission projects and renewable energy zone (REZ) development through to 2040.

One in three below ground drainage systems are non-compliant with building and plumbing requirements, inspections in Victoria have found.

WA

One of Perth’s highest-fee schools has just received development approval for the “largest building investment the school has ever made”. The approval of the $39.2 million facility comes after Wesley College received approval for a multimillion-dollar water sports facility, complete with lap lanes and a water polo pool.

Hoping to attract more than a million visitors a year, construction will soon begin on Perth's first surf park.

New details emerge on design and sheer scale of what could be the world’s biggest wind and solar project, proposed for the Nullarbor Plains.

The WA government is courting Japanese energy firms to step into the AUD $50bn ($33bn) project, with Japan seen as a natural replacement investor given its reliance on imports and long-term hydrogen demand.

🚀 Innovation, Digital & Futuristic Technology

Digital twin technology is rapidly moving from the margins to the mainstream of the built environment. In Queensland, the government is piloting precinct‑scale digital twins to consolidate spatial and asset data across agencies.

Investigating the effects of bentonite, silica fume, and polypropylene fibers, this study highlights their role in enhancing concrete's mechanical properties.

AI-driven scheduling and monitoring tools are enabling concrete contractors to improve job site efficiency, and in some cases create competitive advantage.

This may be a critical moment, with approximately 63% of companies saying that they are planning to implement new enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms by the end of this year.

🌱 Sustainability ​& Environment

Sustainability innovation often stalls in local councils due to siloed departments and risk aversion. Paul Himberger urges early collaboration, clear communication, and education to break barriers. Strong leadership, governance, and real-world examples help drive change. Meeting communities where they are—and showing benefits—can turn resistance into support for sustainable outcomes.

The final piece of a huge underground concrete chamber designed to trap litter before it pollutes the Hobart Rivulet and threaten Hobart’s waterways and habitat has been installed below the city’s tip face.

🌏 Around the World

Mammoet has completed the safe and successful relocation of the iconic Kiruna Church, one of Sweden’s most treasured architectural landmarks. The two-day operation, which concluded on August 20, marks a historic moment for the town of Kiruna and showcases the precision of modern engineering and collaboration. Commissioned by civil engineering firm Veidekke and LKAB, Mammoet was tasked with transporting the 713-tonne wooden church in a single piece.

Unholy mess: Ghana moves to abandon its National Cathedral project

The size and timing of the Ukrainian reconstruction will be largely determined by the outcome of the ongoing conflict with Russia. We have identified three scenarios: (i) no ceasefire, (ii) a stable ceasefire, and (iii) a fragile ceasefire; each resulting in dramatically different reconstruction outcomes.

This controversy is anything but diplomatic. See the proposed plans.

The Webuild Group has secured a €1.6bn contract for the construction of a new high-speed/high-capacity railway line in Italy.

📖 Miscellaneous

With more than 600,000 permanent migrants currently working below their skill level in Australia, the federal government is being urged to help migrants who can't afford to get their skills recognised through a formal process.

The ARA has welcomed the launch of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy, highlighting its focus on productivity, resilience, decarbonisation, and data. CEO Caroline Wilkie emphasised the importance of rail to meet future needs and cut emissions. The strategy also supports workforce development and national consistency in freight operations.

A call for a national reset on transport infrastructure delivery has been made by Roads Australia (RA), who warn that without action on productivity, Australia risks losing liveability, economic resilience and future growth.

Small and family construction businesses across Queensland will be the first to have access to a free industry-specific cyber security training program.   The training expands on the announcement of free cyber security training programs available to all Queensland-based small and family businesses as part of a new partnership between the Queensland Government and Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA).

Donald Trump’s recent claim that wind turbines are a “con job” echoes global conspiracy theories fueled by distrust of government, nostalgia for fossil fuels, and resistance to change. Research shows such beliefs are deeply rooted in worldviews and unlikely to be swayed by facts, reflecting broader anxieties about modernity and identity.

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Alex

We monitor Australian construction 24/7—analysing thousands of articles from over 600 sources—to deliver the latest industry news straight to you.

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