How will the election impact the building & construction industry?

May 5, 2025
Posted by: construction
Category: Resume News

The 2025 Federal Election has been run and won, with Labor increasing its majority in the House of Representatives. During the campaign, the government promised policies designed to address many of the issues currently facing the building and construction industry.

So, what does Labor’s win mean for the building and construction industry?

Why has construction been such a focus of the campaign?

Australia’s construction industry is currently facing many challenges. These include:

• A shortage of construction workers: A severe shortage of construction workers is currently impeding Australia’s ability to provide an adequate supply of housing while building major infrastructure projects.
• Failure of infrastructure to keep up with Australia’s growing population.

How does the government plan to address these issues?

Free TAFE

In the recent Federal budget, the Government pledged 20,000 fee-free places in the building and construction industry. It has also promised to enshrine Free TAFE courses in legislation.

This is intended to encourage more school-leavers to consider careers in the building and construction industry.

Increased incentives for apprentices

To address the construction industry’s workforce shortages, more apprentices are required.
The government has pledged to provide a $10,000 apprentice support payment in the building and construction industry.

Under the scheme, apprentices would be paid $2,000 under five instalments. These would be paid at the 12-, 24- and 36-month marks of their apprenticeship and would come in addition to the pay they receive for their work. The government has set aside $626.9 million, enough to cover the scheme for 60,000 apprentices.

The government will also increase the living away from home allowance, which is currently set at $77.17 per week.

Fast-tracking of trade qualifications

The government has pledged to accelerate the qualifications of more than 6,000 tradies.

The initiative, which will cost $78 million over four years, aims to create a new Advanced Entry Trades Training program. This is designed to help tradies with experience but no formal qualifications to gain certification. The program will assess participants’ existing skills and then fill in any gaps through free, individualised training at TAFEs and other high quality registered training organisations.

The government plans to target the program at those seeking work in the housing construction industry and civil construction industry. These industries have been chosen as they are seen as critical to increasing Australia’s housing supply. However, other construction industries will be considered according to workforce needs.

The program draws inspiration from NSW’s Trade Pathways for experienced workers program, which allows tradies to have their existing skills assessed, with applicants able to receive additional and free training to gain formal trade-related qualifications.

The government hopes the new initiative will speed up the qualification process for tradespeople. The NSW program has seen more than 1,200 students gain their qualifications in an average time of seven months, rather than several years.

The government hopes the policy will encourage older workers to consider new career pathways in the construction industry.

“Apprenticeship pathways are a key contributor to the workforce – but for adult workers, particularly those supporting a family, the thought of ‘restarting’ their career with an apprenticeship is a barrier to getting qualified in their trade,” Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles told News Corp.

Major Infrastructure Projects

In Victoria, the Prime Minister pledged to increase his government’s commitment to Melbourne’s Airport Rail Link to a total of $7 billion. Having already committed $5 billion they pledged an extra $2 billion during the campaign.

The extra funding will be used to upgrade the Sunshine Station. This will become a major hub for regional passengers travelling to the airport. Therefore, they will avoid the need to travel into the city.

In Queensland, the government pledged to spend $7.2 billion upgrading the Bruce Highway.

The highway, which runs from Brisbane to Cairns, has been notorious for safety issues. In 2024 alone, there were 41 fatalities on the road.

This funding aims to raise the minimum safety standard of the road to a 3-star rating, out of a possible five stars.

The money will be spent on installing safety barriers, widening centre lines, wider shoulder construction and generating run-off areas, overtaking lanes and rest areas.

With the government focused on addressing the issues facing the construction industry, this will generate significant opportunities for the industry’s workforce.

Have you ever considered a career in the construction industry? Now could be the time to make a move.

If you are looking for a career in construction, Construction Resumes can help. We are pleased to offer various services, including our resume writing service and selection criteria writing service.