14 minute read
Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction Rebecca Vassarotti MLA
It’s been a difficult, few months for many women.
The shocking revelations about the appalling actions in our Federal Parliament has sparked a national conversation about the treatment of women in the workplace.
This conversation has recognised the particular challenges faced by women working in male dominated industries – politics is one, but of course, building and construction is another.
A key reflection from this national conversation is the importance of female leaders supporting each other, working together to confront challenges and coming together to share their stories in the hope that it might be helpful in someone else’s journey.
Given this, I am delighted to share a bit about me and how I arrived in the position I am in today.
I am a bit of a novice in the political sphere, having only recently been elected to the Legislative Assembly, accepting the big, unexpected job of being a Minister.
While this was somewhat daunting - and yes, believe me was accompanied by a dose of imposter syndrome - I did it because timing is never perfect and because it is important to have diversity in our leadership roles.
I take comfort in the fact that I took on Ministerial roles after some very significant life experience. I have worked across a number of sectors, and particularly enjoyed working with the disability sector, where I saw the stark contrast in housing – highlighting a chronic shortage of housing that meets the needs of people with disabilities or other limitations in their mobility. A decade after the voluntary universal design guidelines were produced by Livable Housing Australia, only about 5% of Australia’s housing stock is accessible.
During my time with Community Housing Canberra, I learnt about the need to ensure that spaces are designed in a way that has people at the centre. I learnt that connecting with local communities always delivered better outcomes, and people who live in places understand the way streets and suburbs work.
My time as a community member on ACAT also provided rich experience around the human impact of housing design. I saw first-hand the consequence of people with low incomes living in older, very inefficient housing. As we know all too well, good homes are critical to the wellbeing of people.
While these experiences have been extremely diverse, they have been immensely helpful in developing an understanding about the relationships between housing and people, and how houses directly improve the lives of people, particularly the more vulnerable members of our community.
The construction industry should feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction in building homes that meet the needs and desires of our community.
I am excited to work with the sector to build trust in the community that the homes they invest in will support their aspirations, their hopes and dreams.
I believe that we are all united in a common endeavour to build a better Canberra – one in which everyone has a place to call home that is safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable.
Super and The Gender Gap
Research shows that women tend to retire with less super than men. In fact, 1 in 4 women retire with no super*.
There are several factors that contribute to this. Women are more likely to take more time out of paid work to have families, they’re more likely to work part-time and, generally, they’re paid less. Women also live longer than men^, which means it’s even more important that they have enough super to last their retirement.
The events of the pandemic will further accelerate this inequality, especially for young women who’ve accessed their super early and as a result, miss out on decades of compound interest on their retirement savings.
SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE THE GAP?
First and foremost, make sure your employer is paying your super. The amount your employer pays is usually at least 9.5% of your regular pay.
You can also:
> Combine all your super together into one account It’ll be easier to manage, and you could save on fees. You can do this online and find out more information about consolidating your super at cbussuper.com.au/super/ consolidate-or-find-my-super
> Find your lost super If you’ve had multiple funds and your details have changed, your old super fund may have lost touch with you and transferred your super to the ATO. This money is called ‘lost super’, but it’s super you can still claim. Use the link above and we’ll show you how.
> Top up your super by putting in extra yourself You can do this by paying more from your before-tax salary (salary sacrificing) or from your after-tax salary. An after-tax super contribution may see you eligible for the Government’s contribution of up to $500. It may seem like a small amount now, but it can make a big difference later. A NOT SO SUPER FACT In 2016/17, the average super balance at retirement for men was $336,360* For women, this figure was $277,880*
> Check your insurance Most Cbus members will receive some cover for death and total and permanent disablement upon joining. Check if you have insurance cover elsewhere and consider transferring your other insurance into one account for easier management.
> Ask your partner or spouse to make a spouse contribution They’ll receive a tax offset of up to $540 if you earn less than $40,000 for the 2020-21 financial year. Visit cbussuper.com.au/super/making-super-contributions for more information and to understand how the offset works.
There’s a lot you can do to boost your super and improve the quality of your retirement. And if you need help, just give us a call on 1300 361 784.
This update was brought to you by Cbus, the industry super fund for building, construction and allied industries.
* Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Women’s economic security in retirement Insight Paper, February 2020, https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Women%27s_economic_security_in_retirement.pdf ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Life expectancy continues to increase in Australia Media Release, 4 November 2020, https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/life-expectancy-continues-increase-australia This information is about Cbus. It doesn’t take into account your specific needs, so you should look at your business needs, objectives and requirements before making any financial decisions. Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement to decide whether Cbus is right for you. Call 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au for a copy. Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 Cbus ABN 75 493 363 262
What Does the Future Hold for Canberra’s Building Industry?
By MBA Chief Economist Shane Garrett
By global standards, Canberra has fared quite well during the pandemic, with a very low rate of infection. The structure of the local economy has also been very protective: there is little by way of an international tourism scene and the large number of public service employees has provided the labour market with a valuable firewall.
It is against this backdrop that Master Builders Australia’s latest forecasts have been published. While HomeBuilder has been working a lot of magic around the country, the benefits to the ACT have been more limited because of the structure of residential building in Canberra, which is much more focussed on higher density dwellings. The boost to detached house building has still been significant, although we expect this to settle back to more typical levels over the medium term.
While the pipeline of new apartment and unit building work had been moving backwards even before the pandemic, we project that the volume of building in this part of the market will bottom out around 2021-22 and then start to expand again as migrant inflows to Canberra start to recover post-Covid.
HomeBuilder has also spurred home renovations activity. With such robust growth in house prices taking place in Canberra, our expectation is that home renovations work will continue to expand even though HomeBuilder has closed. Over the year to February 2021, $1.12 billion worth of non-residential building jobs received approval in the ACT, but, surprisingly, only 34.5 per cent of this was accounted for by public sector work. Like most other parts of the country, the nonresidential building pipeline is in reverse in the ACT. However, we do expect a modest recovery to unfold over the next few years.
Stage 1 of the Canberra’s light rail project was the big show in town for engineering construction activity in the second half of the 2010s decade. There is currently a lull in this part of the local construction market as we await the start of work on Stage 2 of the project which is due next year.
7,000
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0 Master Builders forecasts of new dwelling starts by type to 2024–25
2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Detatched houses Apartments and units
TOYOTA FOR BUSINESS
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HiAce LWB Crew Van shown.
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To find out more, visit your local Toyota Fleet Dealer or call 1800 679 247
toyota.com.au/fleet
1 Discount available across the Toyota HiAce range. T&Cs apply. 2 Driver assist feature. Only operates under certain conditions. Check your Owner’s Manual for explanation of limitations. Please drive safely. 3 CarPlay® is a trademark of Apple, Inc. registered in the U.S and other countries. Functionality varies depending on device. See toyota.com.au/connected for compatibility. Available on certain models and grades only. 4 Android Auto™ is a trademark of Google LLC. Functionality varies depending on device. See toyota.com.au/connected for compatibility. Available on certain models and grades only.
WOMEN BUILDING AUSTRALIA UPDATE
BY MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA CEO DENITA WAWN
Master Builders Australia has been delivering the Women Building Australia program for the past 3 years. The program has grown from the initial Women Building Australia National Mentoring program for women in the early stages of their careers. Women Building Australia is also increasing awareness about career opportunities in the building and construction industry amongst female school leavers, their parents and career advisors at career expos.
During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Master Builders was in discussions with the Office of Women to expand the Women Building Australia program to provide more opportunities and support for women in the building and construction industry. This extension has meant that Women Building Australia is able to expand our activities to provide support for women in the industry around business resilience and harassment.
The expansion of the Women Building Australia program has allowed us to set up a dedicated website that provides resources and support for women in the industry and provides business resilience coaching programs for female owned or operated businesses. In addition, we are now able to establish a female led business register to provide a resource for people who would like to use female operated building and construction suppliers. The program provides a dedicated harassment and discrimination support line for women in the industry, which provides practical advice on issues of discrimination and harassment and recommends avenues that are available to women.
Master Builders Australia is working with the Office of Women, whose support has enabled us to run and expand the Women Building Australia program. We are making a big difference and successfully supporting female participation in our industry. We are increasing awareness of the wonderful career opportunities and array of jobs that are available for women. With women currently making up only 14% of the industry’s total workforce and only 1% of building trades, the industry is missing out on the skills and talents of half the population. Attracting the best workers regardless of their gender means our industry will benefit and evolve with new skills, ideas and innovations, the business success of building businesses will be boosted, and more women can take advantage of the fantastic career and job opportunities that our industry provides.
MASTER BUILDERS INSURANCE BROKERS ARE PARTNERING WITH WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
Master Builders Insurance Brokers (MBIB) are coming onboard as a partner of the Women in Construction Group.
Master Builders Insurance Brokers ACT Business Development Manager, Nick Morgan, says this is a logical next step for the business, “We have always been avid supporters of women joining the construction industry, it’s terrific to now solidify this support with our new partnership,” Nick says.
Master Builders Insurance Brokers offers insurance services to the construction industry which includes contract works, home warranty, surety bonds and risk management advice. All profits go back into the construction industry, so Nick is already very familiar with supporting the industry to grow.
While female participation is significantly lower in the construction industry, Nick believes initiatives like the Women in Construction Group, will help close that gap saying, “I think the general consensus is that members want to see more women join the industry but they’re not seeing those applicants right now. But with the Women in Construction Group showcasing the outstanding efforts of females in the industry, I believe we will see more women join.” ACT Members looking to find out how Master Builders Insurance Brokers can assist you in insuring your business and equipment, can contact Nick on (02) 6175 5975 or email act.insurance@mbib.com.au
The Women in Construction Group have a number of upcoming events for the year, including a Small Business Learning Session, an exclusive onsite Strathnairn Charity House event, and a HBDI Learning session. Nick is ready to be an active partner at these events saying, “I’m looking forward to the networking opportunities at the Women in Construction events and finding out how MBIB can continue to meet members’ insurance requirements.”
In the building and construction industry there is a growing demand for cyber insurance as businesses to continue to expand into the online marketplace, “I think cyber insurance will be a particular area of interest for members of the Women in Construction Group, because of the forward-thinking members the group attracts.” MBIB recognises that cyber breaches are a very real threat facing modern businesses and they are here to advise industry of their legal requirements, “companies with annual turnovers of more than 3 million are legally required to inform all affected parties, as well as notify individuals affected by the breach,” Nick says.
Master Builders Insurance Brokers have women employed across different levels of the company around the country. Nick is eager to see the skills more women will bring to the construction industry saying, “I’m surrounded by smart and accomplished women in my professional and personal life, and it’s exciting to think where the construction industry will go with greater female representation.”
EVENT WRAP-UP: The Spectacular 2021 International Women’s Day Luncheon
The Women in Construction Group started 2021 with a bang, with the first event held on 16 March 2021 being the inaugural International Women’s Day Luncheon. The event was held at the picturesque location of the Glass House at Pialligo Estate. Guest speakers included MBA ACT President, Graciete Ferreira, Australian Racing Legend, Emily Duggan, and Founder of Build Like a Girl and General Manager at Kane Constructions, Jo Farrell.
Guests were greeted with a glass of champagne and canapes in the beautiful greenery surrounding the venue. Attendees enjoyed delicious platters of Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Cous Cous and Grilled Chicken while hearing from our three truly inspiring guest speakers.
We hope to see many members at future Women in Construction events.
Additional partnership opportunities are available, please contact MBA via events@mba.org.au.
