Dear colleagues, 

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Delivering Net Zero Infrastructure: Workforce Report on behalf of the Infrastructure Net Zero initiative.

This report details, for the first time, a unified and sector-wide view of the occupations and skills needed to decarbonise the nation’s infrastructure projects—an Infrastructure Net Zero Workforce. 

Right now, of the 200,000 workers delivering the nation’s major public infrastructure pipeline, only around half perform activities that reduce emissions.  

The assets we rely on to get us from A to B could end up being one of our biggest roadblocks in achieving our national ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050.

Infrastructure and buildings are directly responsible for nearly a third of the country’s emissions. These emissions are produced in the manufacturing of building materials such as in fossil-fuel powered steel mills or concrete plants. They are also created during construction for example in the transportation of materials and use of diesel-powered machinery or generators at construction sites.

Then there are the indirect emissions–say from the vehicles that use a new road, or trains using a new rail line. This together with direct emissions, accounts for almost half of Australia’s total emissions.

Growing and upskilling the workforce needed to decarbonise the nation’s infrastructure projects will be a vital piece of the puzzle.

This report puts forward four key recommendations to guide government and industry in growing and strengthening this essential workforce, including the development of a new industry-wide training program to set the national standard for skills needed to decarbonise projects. 

It is a critical step towards giving industry the certainty it needs to invest into its workforce.

Finally, I’d like to thank the coalition of stakeholders that have collaborated to bring this report to life, including government departments and agencies, independent infrastructure bodies, and members of Infrastructure Net Zero and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council – this joining of forces has strengthened the foundation and influence of this research and the impact it is already having and will continue to have in driving outcomes. 

Please feel free to share the report with your networks. You can download it here.

Infrastructure Net Zero Chair, Consult Australia CEO, Jonathan Cartledge

"For the first time, we have a collective picture of what it means to be part of the 'net zero infrastructure workforce'. Professionals like engineers and designers are making some of the greatest contributions, thanks to their influence at the design and planning stages, when most of the emissions impact is locked in.

Net zero infrastructure is a decades-long task. If we don’t plan the workforce transition now, we’ll miss the opportunity to build the capability we need."

Members of Infrastructure Net Zero