After two serious flood events in recent months, the vital role Queensland’s contractors play in repairing the damage should be recognised
With a big state like Queensland, it is to be expected that there will be differences between weather events and seasons depending on the geographical area. For example, there’s usually a noticeable wet season along the coastal fringe, which gets stronger the further north you travel.
Not this year. February brought a tropical low that sat off the coast between Townsville and Cairns and ended up dumping over a year’s worth of rain in the first week of the month. One month later, Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its aftermath dropped over half a year’s worth of rain in five days on southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
Both events have created significant flooding, and the damage is still being assessed – all while reconstruction programs associated with last summer’s damage caused by Cyclone Jasper are underway.
Contractors in Queensland will be feeling the direct impact on their projects, and in some cases their offices or workshops have been damaged. Their employees may have their own personal property damage to deal with, or may have family and friends affected by the events.
Regardless of their own circumstances they stand ready to be part of the cleanup and reconstructive effort. This is a testament to the resilience of the civil construction industry. Contractors are under pressure from environmental factors, regulatory factors, skill shortages, uncertainty in the pipeline of work – and yet are still prepared to gear up for the challenges ahead.
The civil construction industry is not appreciated enough for the role it plays in all aspects of our daily lives. Without the civil construction industry, the foundations for communities could not be built. Without the roads, drainage, sewers and water reticulation and associated treatment plants, earthworks, foundations bridges, tunnels, and rail the standard of community we expect would not exist. All of this infrastructure requires construction by civil contractors.
Whilst a lot of the reconstruction work will need the building trades, the maintenance and rebuilding of access and connectivity of communities will need civil contractors. They will be the first in and are often the last to leave.
There is a significant amount of work that civil contractors will be called on to rebuild the damage caused over the last 18 months. This is unplanned and on top of a growing projected capital works pipeline, housing demands, renewable energy and the Olympics.
The industry will have the capacity to deliver what is needed but it needs support from all levels of government. The support needed is:
- a long-term transparent pipeline of capital works
- making civil construction skills and qualifications a priority
- introducing policies and regulations that cut red tape, which reduces risks and improves productivity.
CCF Queensland wants to see civil construction prioritised equally to our residential construction counterparts in efforts to boost skills and retention. Houses are not built –or rebuilt – without proper infrastructure.
Queensland’s infrastructure does not just need investment into the infrastructure itself, but also into the workers that build it. This effort needs to include all levels of government in order to ensure the longevity of the civil construction industry.
Severe weather events will continue to happen. It is vital that the civil construction industry is allowed to develop innovative solutions to create effective and sustainable methods to meet these challenges. A responsible reduction of red tape and a collaborative approach to risk are keys elements of this.
Collaboration between the different levels of government and industry is essential in ensuring that recovery efforts run smoothly, but also in ensuring that strategies for recovery are put in place before the next severe weather event strikes. This includes planning for new projects, infrastructure upgrades and improvements, and policy changes.
A long-term perspective is crucial in ensuring that the repairs done today will last a lifetime.
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