- G'day Construction Newsletter
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- 29/01/2026
29/01/2026
The Daily Dirt Aus
By G’day Construction………….……
THE MORNING PAPER FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS AND TRADIES
🚨 Safety Updates
A worker was seriously injured in 2024 when an all‑terrain elevating work platform tipped after a front wheel dropped off a kerb during tree maintenance. The fully extended boom destabilised the EWP, causing it to fall six metres, strike a parked car, and land across the road, resulting in multiple injuries.
As extreme weather intensifies, builders must apply wind‑load standards like AS/NZS 1170.2 to ensure structural safety. Wind region, terrain, shielding and topography all affect design requirements. Compliance, safe site management, and rigorous equipment checks are essential to prevent failures, reduce risks during high‑wind events, and build more resilient structures.
âś’ Headlines & Industry
The NSW Audit Office reports nearly $1 billion is needed for rural and regional council water infrastructure to meet service standards, with many councils running operating losses. Major capital works face delays and budget overruns under outdated guidance, highlighting urgent needs in project delivery, planning, and infrastructure funding across the sector.
Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn told the Today Show that labour shortages, delayed approvals and cash‑flow pressures are driving construction insolvencies despite high demand. She highlighted stalled worksites, mental health strain on tradies, and the need for more workers, stronger regulation of poor operators, and better industry support services.
The City of Gold Coast’s planning team earned a commendation for using AI and machine learning to analyse community feedback in the Robina Central Planning Review. The technology sped up data processing and improved insights, supporting planners as the city develops a new scheme to manage major growth over the next 20 years.
🏗️ Projects
NSW
Offshore construction has begun on the Belmont desalination project near Nine Mile Beach with the arrival of a jack‑up barge. Works include installing the ocean intake and tunnelling a seabed pipeline to the plant. Hunter Water says this technically complex phase is crucial to delivering a reliable, rainfall‑independent water supply for the Lower Hunter.
A 34‑storey mixed‑use tower in Chatswood, NSW has been approved, allowing construction to proceed. The $107 million project will deliver 101 apartments—including 26 affordable units—above a commercial podium with retail and office space. Conditions address flooding, public space design and long‑term affordable housing, advancing high‑density development near key transport links.
Gadigal Station in Sydney has won the Prix Versailles World Title – Special Prize for Interior, recognising its modern architecture, sustainable design and Indigenous cultural integration. Designed by Sydney Metro with Foster + Partners and COX, the award follows its selection as one of the world’s “Magnificent Seven” most beautiful stations.
QLD
The Queensland Crisafulli Government is accelerating construction-enabling works for the Fernvale South Productivity Link, funded through the $2 billion Residential Activation Fund. Road and intersection upgrades will unlock land for up to 2,000 homes, improve access for construction crews, and support rapid growth in the Somerset region by fast‑tracking housing‑ready infrastructure.
A new development application has been lodged for a Mixed Use Development, located at 10 Morrow Street and 7A George Street, Taringa. Designed by Ellivo Architects, the proposal seeks residential apartments, short-term accommodation and ground-level retail uses within a transit-oriented location adjacent to Taringa Station.
Plans are emerging for a landmark development that could bring the Trump Organisation’s brand to Australian shores for the first time, with discussions reportedly underway for a Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise.
TAS
Tipalea Partners has unveiled a redesigned $60 million Stony Rise Village retail centre in Tasmania, with construction to begin in March 2026. The 6,300 m² project—anchored by Woolworths—features upgraded public spaces, modern amenities and advanced technology. The centre is already 60% pre‑leased and will support strong regional growth.
VIC
Construction preparation has begun on the SEC Delburn Wind Farm near the Latrobe Valley, with major works starting in March. The 33‑turbine project will deliver 205 MW of renewable capacity and more than 300 construction jobs, strengthening Gippsland’s supply chain and engaging local contractors as the SEC returns to public energy generation.
Construction has begun in Victoria on the Delburn Wind Farm, the Latrobe Valley’s first wind project, with groundwork underway for 33 turbines. Now owned by the SEC, the 205 MW project is rapidly progressing after the state takeover, with turbine deliveries expected next year and commissioning planned for late 2027.
WA
A new 2026 Construction Outlook report says WA’s construction sector is shifting from years of volatility toward recalibration, with steadier pipelines, stronger early‑stage project values and rising residential momentum. However, labour shortages—especially acute in WA and Queensland—continue to constrain delivery, impact pricing and challenge timelines as major infrastructure ramps up.
🚀 Innovation, Digital & Futuristic Technology
Toronto‑based Augmenta has developed an AI platform that automates building‑system design, cutting modelling time by up to 70% and reducing pre‑construction material waste by 15–25%. Used on projects like schools and data centres, the tool helps contractors work faster, minimise clashes and lower costs while improving sustainability in construction.
Identifying and removing bottlenecks is essential to improving design and construction workflows. Bottlenecks appear as delays, backlogs and overworked teams. Lean methods like process mapping, daily huddles, constraint analysis and “andon” problem‑stopping help teams expose constraints early, stabilise workflow, prevent rework and keep projects moving efficiently toward delivery.
Holcim has invested in Norway’s Capsol Technologies to adopt its hot‑potassium‑carbonate carbon‑capture system, strengthening Holcim’s decarbonisation roadmap. The technology enables energy‑efficient post‑combustion CO₂ capture, supporting Holcim’s goal of producing near‑zero‑carbon cement at scale. The move builds on earlier trials and expands Holcim’s growing portfolio of low‑carbon innovations.
Stockholm-based Brickanta has raised $8 million in Seed funding to accelerate the development of its AI-native platform designed specifically for the construction industry.
🌱 Sustainability ​& Environment
Boral has demonstrated that crushed recycled concrete can rapidly absorb and store captured CO₂, enabling reuse in new low‑carbon concrete mixes. The engineered re‑carbonation process cuts embodied carbon, boosts recycling, and supports wider cement decarbonisation efforts, including alternative fuels, new materials and high cement‑replacement strategies.
UK firm ITM Power has secured front‑end engineering roles for new green hydrogen projects in Australia and Canada, including a Basic Design Engineering Package for an Australian development. The work will support about 70 MW of hydrogen capacity, advancing Australia’s clean‑energy construction pipeline through its NEPTUNE V electrolyser platform.
Australia’s green building market is expanding, driven by stricter sustainability policies, rising ESG commitments and demand for energy‑efficient construction. Worth USD 3.5 billion in 2025, it’s projected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2034. Growth is fuelled by smart‑building technology, green finance, low‑carbon materials and strong government support for sustainable development nationwide.
đź“– Miscellaneous
The Albanese Government and NHVR have opened round 11 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, offering $4.4 million for industry‑led projects that enhance heavy vehicle safety. The program targets innovative, technology‑driven solutions to improve compliance and reduce road risks. Applications close 16 March 2026, continuing over $45 million already invested.
AI‑driven growth could increase global water demand by nearly 130% by 2050, adding 30 trillion litres annually through power generation, semiconductor manufacturing and data centres. The report says wastewater reuse, leak reduction and digital monitoring can offset pressure, helping manage demand as AI infrastructure expands into already water‑stressed regions.
👷‍♀️ Tradies and Resource
The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the representative body for the profession worldwide, has appointed Brian Uy as its 105th president. Uy, currently Scientia Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), brings decades of experience to the role.
IPAF has issued 3 million PAL Cards worldwide, marking major progress in operator safety for MEWPs and MCWPs. Introduced in 1998, the cards certify competence through IPAF‑approved training. With digital cards now available, IPAF says the milestone reflects industry commitment to safer work at height and continually improving training standards.
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Alex
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