Building Connection

Questions about firefighting around high-voltage transmission infrastructure have emerged in Victoria’s west, following reports that some local firefighters believe they wouldn’t attend fires on properties crossed by the planned VNI West transmission line. Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance spokesperson Cam Walker rejects the claims, arguing that established procedures already govern how crews operate around high-voltage power lines.

Master Builders Australia is calling for greater priority to be given to construction workers within Australia’s skilled migration system, with new analysis highlighting the significant contribution migrant tradies can make to the country’s housing supply.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says Australia’s residential construction industry continues to face a significant shortage of skilled trades, warning that a softer housing market is unlikely to solve the sector’s long-term workforce challenges. According to the HIA’s latest Trades Report, the skilled labour shortage remained firmly in negative territory during the June quarter 2026, with the index improving only slightly from -0.62 to -0.59.

Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn will step down once a successor has been appointed, bringing to a close almost a decade of leadership at the peak building and construction body. Denita joined Master Builders in 2016 before becoming chief executive in March 2017, making history as the first woman to lead the organisation since its federation in 1890.

A Melbourne crane operator has been fined $20,000 after a 200-tonne mobile crane toppled and struck another crane while being packed up at a residential construction site in Williamstown North. The 38-year-old was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to recklessly engaging in conduct that placed another person or persons at a workplace in danger of serious injury. He was also ordered to pay $4,000 in costs.

Australia’s residential building sector is continuing to attract new apprentices and trainees despite an overall decline in vocational education enrolments, with the Housing Industry Association (HIA) highlighting new figures showing construction-related qualifications remain on the rise. New data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows overall qualification enrolments fell by more than 5% in 2025.

Western Sydney University has launched a national research centre aimed at accelerating Australia’s transition to net-zero buildings by developing digital technologies, sustainable materials and industry training for the construction sector.

MCi Carbon has reached a commercialisation milestone, with material produced at its Myrtle demonstration plant in Newcastle successfully used in concrete field trials at Boral’s Maldon Cement Works in NSW. The trials formed part of a SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre project, in partnership with Transport for NSW and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), investigating new supplementary cementitious materials for use in lower-carbon concrete for infrastructure applications.

MODEL has secured planning approval for its inaugural project, MODEL on Lithgow, a $120 million build-to-rent development in Abbotsford that will deliver 158 apartments, including affordable housing. Approved under the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program, the six-storey project will adaptively reuse the former Schweppes Cordial Factory while incorporating a new mass-timber, all-electric residential building.

National Courses is encouraging Year 12 students to consider a career in construction, highlighting strong demand for skilled workers and the opportunity to complete key industry qualifications before finishing school.