22/10/2025

October 22, 2025

THE MORNING PAPER FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS AND TRADIES

🚨 Safety Updates

Week 3 of National Safe Work Month (20–26 October) focuses on controlling risks — the next step after identifying hazards and assessing risks. Key activities include learning about the hierarchy of controls, managing mental health risks, updating your risk register, and planning a SafeTea event. Controls should match the likelihood and severity of risks, and employers must consult workers to ensure safe practices. Some hazards, like spills, can be controlled immediately. Each workplace should tailor its control measures to its size, activities, and potential emergencies. Visit the NSWM website for more resources and ideas.

🏗️ Projects

QLD

Smokey Creek Solar Farm annouced, a 600 MW project 75 km south of Rockhampton, Queensland, will be built, owned, and operated by Edify Energy. Environmental approvals were granted in 2023, with a 90% power purchase agreement from Rio Tinto. The project received a Capacity Investment Scheme agreement in October 2025 and follows traditional procurement.

Two major solar-plus-storage projects totalling 725MW are advancing in NSW and Queensland. Ark Energy’s 435MW Richmond Valley project, with a 3.1GWh 8-hour battery, has gained planning approval, while Global Power Generation’s 290MW Fraser Coast project nears final environmental clearance. Both involve large-scale civil, electrical, and balance-of-plant construction through 2026.

SA

The Malinauskas government had allocated $593 million to build a hydrogen power plant in Whyalla, setting up an Office for Hydrogen Power in May 2022 to deliver on its pre-election hydrogen promises.

TAS

TasWater is taking decisive action to fix leaks and modernise its water network, launching a $100.6 million program to reduce water loss and create a more sustainable system for the future. Currently, Tasmania loses more drinking water than any other state in Australia. In 2024–25, an estimated 22.6 per cent of treated water was lost before reaching customers, with much of it escaping through hidden leaks in underground pipes, tanks and connections.

VIC

The $813 million Northern Hospital redevelopment is progressing rapidly, with stage one’s Ambulatory Care Centre reaching structural completion and stage two now underway. John Holland has been appointed Managing Contractor for the second stage, which includes a new emergency department and inpatient tower on Cooper Street. Stage one will open mid-2026, with façade and fit-out works progressing. Once complete, the redevelopment will deliver nearly 200 treatment spaces, support 30,000 more emergency patients annually, and create 2,200 local jobs. The full project, led by the Victorian Health Building Authority, is due for completion in 2029.

Iberdrola advances its 3 GW Aurora Green offshore wind project off Victoria, with up to 150 turbines, inter-array cables, offshore substations, and an onshore connection hub. Construction will generate 1,800+ jobs, supporting Australia’s emerging offshore wind sector. Global Maritime Australia appointed for marine services, including LiDAR buoy installation. 

WA

Construction has officially begun on WA’s new $1.8 billion Women and Babies Hospital at the Fiona Stanley precinct, replacing the ageing King Edward Memorial Hospital. The 12-storey, 274-bed facility is scheduled to open in 2029, with earthworks underway and piling to start in November. While the project remains on schedule, Minister John Carey acknowledged potential cost escalations but said the Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery is closely managing budget and timelines. The shift from the original QEII site to Murdoch sparked some industry debate, but the project is seen as essential for modern maternity care in WA. The builder for the new Webuild Group-led project to deliver the $1.8 billion WA Health Infrastructure “New Women and Babies Hospital” at the Fiona Stanley Hospital Precinct has been confirmed as Webuild (Australia) as managing contractor. Originally the contract was structured as a joint venture with Webuild holding ~70% and Roberts Co the remaining ~30%. However, Roberts Co entered voluntary administration, and the Government confirmed Webuild now has lead delivery responsibility.

Construction is underway on a 105 megawatt wind farm being developed in Western Australia’s eastern Wheatbelt region by the state-owned energy utility, Synergy. WA energy minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said on Monday that earthworks have started on the 17-turbine King Rocks wind farm, at its site 35km north-east of Hyden. Sanderson says the state’s Cook Labor government has committed $513 million towards the project, which will generate enough clean power for up to 70,000 homes. Construction is also well underway on the nearby Hyden Workers’ Accommodation, which will feature 189 temporary rooms and associated facilities. The first of the wind farm’s roughly 200 workers are using the facility, the minister says. The builder for the Synergy-led King Rocks Wind Farm in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia has been appointed as Vestas, which will supply and install the turbines and carry out construction.

🚀 Innovation, Digital & Futuristic Technology

Luminous Robotics has successfully completed its first international deployment of AI-powered solar installation robots at Engie’s 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm in Victoria, Australia.

Bridgit, a leader in construction workforce planning software, announced Bridgit AI, a new layer of functionality designed to turn messy, siloed people data into immediate answers, explainable recommendations, and faster planning workflows. Grounded in a “people-first, data-informed” philosophy, these new tools bring the most relevant information about your team to the forefront of workforce planning, surfacing otherwise hard-to-uncover insights that help drive better construction project outcomes.

🌱 Sustainability ​& Environment

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Australia’s timber framing industry can accelerate housing delivery through modern methods of construction (MMC). MMC shifts building to efficient offsite systems, improving speed, safety and sustainability. Experts urge small, collaborative steps and local capability building. Despite regulatory and quality concerns, timber-based MMC offers major potential for scalable, low-rise housing.

Western Australia’s Kep Katitjin – Gabi Kaadadadjan Waterwise Action Plan 2, led by the Cook Government, is nationally recognised for climate-resilient water planning, sustainable development, and Aboriginal knowledge integration. The plan guides long-term water security across Perth and Peel, supported by major infrastructure, community projects, and regional drought initiatives, fostering resilience to climate impacts.

Perth Airport’s T2 Apron Expansion and ASP, delivered by Skyfields with GHD and West Coast Civil, achieved an IS Essentials Design Rating, setting a benchmark for sustainable aviation infrastructure. Stage One works increased aircraft parking, reduced embodied emissions by 15%, conserved 57,000 kL of water, and promoted mental health on-site.

As Australia enters an infrastructure boom, the construction sector is playing its part in reaching net zero by 2050. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) enable construction sites to access reliable, clean, and cost-efficient power, reduce fuel use and emissions, and ensure uninterrupted operations. Paired with renewables and smart energy management, BESS improve productivity, cut costs, support off-grid and urban projects, and help the construction sector advance toward net-zero and sustainability goals.

🌏 Around the World

Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment Company has awarded a construction contract worth an estimated $1.4bn to local company Nesma & Partners for the development of the Qiddiya City Performing Arts Centre, a flagship cultural project within the Kingdom’s planned entertainment hub, Qiddiya City.

AI is reshaping data center construction, demanding flexibility, specialized cooling, and deeper supply chain engagement. Operators must address labor shortages, forecast years ahead, and rethink traditional approaches. Success now hinges on treating every aspect—from materials to skilled trades—as strategic, turning unprecedented challenges into opportunities in the rapidly evolving AI infrastructure landscape.

👷‍♀️ Tradies and Resource

A popular drone pilot course for high school students is in doubt as the Queensland government reviews which vocational training it will subsidise in 2026.

Advertised salary growth rose 0.3% in September, with annual growth steady at 3.5%. SEEK’s Dr Blair Chapman says wage rises reflect July’s 3.5% Fair Work minimum wage increase, though labour market momentum has eased. In construction, strong demand for skilled trades and project delivery roles continues to support competitive pay offers, even as overall employment growth slows. Advertised salaries are still rising faster than inflation, giving workers greater purchasing power. SEEK’s data shows advertised salary growth remains stable across Australia’s major sectors, including infrastructure and building.

Construction job ads rose 1.1% in September and 4.3% year-on-year, reflecting steady industry demand despite broader labour market softening. Growth was strongest in Western Australia (up 12.1% y/y), driven by major infrastructure and resource projects. Applications per ad also increased, showing heightened candidate activity across construction and trades roles nationwide.

Skilled trade availability has worsened nationwide as home building and infrastructure activity surge, with the HIA Trades Availability Index falling to -0.48. Bricklaying faces the sharpest shortages, especially in WA and regional Queensland. Rising demand and limited migration and training pipelines risk further constraints, pushing trade prices up 8.4%.

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Alex

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