2 minute read
A Message from the CEO
A MESSAGE FROM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MICHAEL HOPKINS
Skillful Investing is Needed for Economic Recovery
As we cross the halfway point of 2021, we are focused on lobbying the ACT Government for a greater investment in a skilled sector in the upcoming August budget.
In the 2021/2022 budget, the Federal Government committed to 5000 more training placements for women, to encourage more females to break into non-traditional trades. At Master Builders ACT we are strong advocates for seeing more women in leadership roles and we are committed to leading by example. The majority of our Managers are female, as well as our executive leadership team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working executive team, Commercial Director, Liz Nair, Member Services Director, Ashlee Berry, Finance Director, Pam le Roux and our newly appointed Training Director, Jo Whitfield. You can find out more about Jo on page 24, in our new team member feature.
The Federal Government’s budget recognised that the building and construction industry is powering the Australian economy, with a focus on infrastructure building, apprenticeships, and job creation as pivotal for rebuilding Australia’s economy. The strong commitment by the Federal Government to skills and apprenticeships provides the framework needed for the ACT Government to also increase apprenticeship funding in its August budget. The National Skills Commission’s Average Price Benchmarking Report shows that the ACT is the worst performer of all Australian States and Territories when it comes to funding many construction apprenticeships. We are calling on the ACT Government to follow the Federal Government’s lead and significantly increase its commitment to skills funding, particularly for construction apprenticeships. A skilled construction sector will undoubtedly benefit the ACT economy overall.
In terms of the economy recovery, on page 13 MBA Australia Chief Economist, Shane Garrett, predicts that home renovations will continue to expand in Canberra even with HomeBuilder applications now closed. While he notes $1.12 billion worth of non-residential building jobs received approval in the ACT over the year ending February 2021, there are still concerns about the lack of substantial investment in the building pipeline. The Federal Government’s recent announcement of the $26.5 million William Hovell Drive duplication investment is a welcomed start to creating a pipeline of work for our civil members.
In this edition we get the chance to celebrate some of the hardworking CCF ACT members, through the 2021 CCF Earth Awards wrap-up on page 50. Congratulations to all the winners from the night on your outstanding projects, I hope that you and your teams had the chance to celebrate all of your hard work. I would like to extend a huge thank you to our 2021 CCF Earth Awards sponsors including Headline Sponsor, Capital Asphalt. While CCF ACT President, Nick Zardo, couldn’t be in attendance because he was volunteering his time at the Variety Charity Bash, he is still featured in this edition on page 22 celebrating Guideline ACT’s 30-year member milestone.
