As voters head to the booths, the National Association for Women in Construction (NAWIC) has released its federal election priorities which will make the construction industry more accessible and attractive for women and all employees.

Childcare, industry retention and cultural change sit atop NAWIC’s list of priorities. With the government outlying $120 billion towards infrastructure and job creation in the industry, the Association says changes are required to attract and retain industry talent.

“It is no surprise that in an industry that is already plagued with high rates of suicide and burn out, construction is facing significant shortages in long-term sustainability, productivity and its capacity to scale-up to meet increasing labour demands,” says NAWIC Advocacy Chair, Kristine Scheul.

An inquiry into Government procurement practices for infrastructure saw the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities prepared a report which recognised that, “a productive and sustainable workforce will be the key to delivering Australia’s pipeline of infrastructure projects”, however it is the culture of the industry which is ‘impeding the sector’s ability to attract and retain workers – especially women’.

NAWIC’s Election Priorities include:

  • Calling on the incoming government to amend legislation to allow for portability of parental and carer’s leave.
  • Seeking implementation of the CICT Culture Standards across all Commonwealth funded projects.
  • Mandating a “gender on the tender” policy for all construction projects in receipt of Commonwealth funding.
  • Supporting the establishment of a National Gender Equality Strategy.

“Significant hours of research have gone into the question of how an industry which contributes 17.8% to the GDP, the second largest industry of our country, still has the lowest productivity rate of any other industry,” says Scheul.

“It may not be a coincidence that the decline in the number of women in the industry in previous years correlates with the decline in the productivity of the industry, but without the diversity of thinking and the change to workplace culture that women bring, the industry will not remain sustainable.”

“This can only be achieved by ensuring that the industry has a culture of inclusivity, that women’s roles as carers is not a barrier to career advancement and that women are rewarded equally with no threat to their economic security at the end of their careers.”

NAWIC has called upon the incoming government to consider its key priorities for the election and to look to adopt the recommendations endorsed by NAWIC and its members.

You can read an in-depth description of NAWIC’s election priorities here.

 

Image: https://buildertrend.com/blog/women-in-construction/