The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed last week's commitment of the National Construction Industry Forum (NCIF) to a Blueprint for the Future at Parliament House in Canberra, to strengthen and prioritise Australia’s building and construction sector and accelerate housing delivery. HIA managing director Jocelyn Martin said the association was pleased to see the release of the final blueprint and the strong commitment from all parties to a more productive and sustainable construction industry. “The NCIF’s blueprint for the Future provides a long-term reform roadmap built on four key pillars, safety, culture, productivity, and sustainability and sets out 44 recommendations, with nine priority actions ready to begin immediately," Ms Martin said. “These priorities, including measures to lift productivity and build a skilled and adaptable workforce, are critical to delivering more homes faster. "The Blueprint will play a direct role in helping Australia meet national housing targets, including the Federal Government’s goal of 1.2 million homes over five years." Ms Martin said recommendations to expand training opportunities, improve workplace flexibility, and create safe and respectful worksites were essential to attracting more women and under-represented groups into construction. “HIA is particularly encouraged by the blueprint’s emphasis on avoiding duplication of existing initiatives and ensuring reforms complement work already underway. "Of the priorities agreed on, there is already an immense body of work being undertaken to improve industry productivity as identified through the recent Economic Reform Roundtable. “The Blueprint identifies key barriers that have slowed housing approvals and added unnecessary cost. "Combined with measures to grow and diversify the construction workforce, these reforms will allow more homes to be built, sooner, safer, and more affordably. “HIA values the opportunity to contribute to this collaborative approach and will continue to work with all stakeholders."
