The Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT) today launches public consultation on the Diversity and Inclusion pillar of the new industry Culture Standard through our virtual consultation hub
Improving diversity and inclusion in construction
With more than 100,000 additional construction workers needed by 2023 to deliver the infrastructure pipeline, we need to widen our talent pool and make construction a more attractive place to work.
However, the industry currently faces challenges in attracting and retaining a diverse range of workers – construction has the lowest female participation of any Australian industry at just 12 per cent. This means we are forgoing the talents of a large proportion of available workers.
Ensuring construction can attract and retain a diverse range of people to work in our industry is a key focus of the new Culture Standard. This will improve productivity and shore up the industry’s capability and capacity to deliver current and future projects.
Prioritising diversity and inclusion in the construction industry
Our second round of consultation focusses on exploring the practical steps that can be taken to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
The Culture Standard supports diversity and inclusion for people from all ages, genders, cultures, and heritages, including Indigenous and First Nations People. It has been drafted to supplement existing procurement rules and requirements.
Gender is the initial focus of our journey to create a more inclusive industry. Under this pillar of the Culture Standard, industry members would introduce measures to increase female participation, address gender pay gaps, provide suitable on-site amenities and remove offensive materials from the workplace.
Get Involved
Visit our virtual consultation hub where you can find out more, provide your feedback on the Culture Standard and proposed measures to improve diversity and inclusion in the construction industry.
The virtual hub includes fact sheets, videos and case studies as well as opportunities to have your say through questionnaires and surveys.
We welcome any and all input, which you can provide by:
1. Visiting 360.cultureinconstruction.com.au to access the virtual consultation hub
2. Following us on LinkedIn
3. Sharing this opportunity to improve our industry
The Culture Standard is expected to be finalised by the end of this year. Implementation pilots are due to start in NSW and Victoria in 2022, with results to be shared with all jurisdictions to support a national approach to these issues.