The Victorian Government’s transformative infrastructure agenda includes the Housing Statement, Big Build and the renewable energy transition. The 2024/25 Victorian Budget committed $208 billion to new and existing capital projects, making it one of the largest infrastructure programs in the world.10
Last year’s Housing Statement announced a target to build hundreds of thousands of new homes over the next decade to provide Victorians with more social and affordable housing in locations close to jobs and transport. Victoria’s Big Build is well underway, delivering critical infrastructure to reshape Victoria’s transportation network and deliver on new education, health care and other facilities.
Victoria’s infrastructure commitments mean that workforce demands in construction and across the supply chain will remain high over the next ten years.
The industry is facing challenges attracting and retaining women. In May 2024, women account for only 14.0 per cent of all workers in construction in Victoria, up from 9.8 per cent in May 2014, but still well below the state-wide average of 47.3 per cent.11 To encourage more women to participate in construction, the Australian Skills Guarantee has introduced national targets from July 2024 to increase the proportion of apprenticeship/traineeship hours worked by women on major construction projects. Victoria had earlier established a similar policy under the Building Equality Policy. Efforts to make a more inclusive industry will help address capability and ease capacity constraints.
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