Construction businesses a grim standout in insolvency data, as experts seek silver linings
The number of business insolvencies boomed in late 2023 and is poised to accelerate in 2024, official data shows, but industry leaders professionals say the growing use of the small business restructuring scheme is a silver lining.
ACTU says workers will ban engineered stone themselves if regulators don’t act
Australia's union movement says its members will forbid the use and transportation of engineered stone unless governments formally ban it outright, escalating pressure on businesses which process and use the popular material in home construction.
“Who, unless it’s robots, is going to build this?”: Builders question goal of 1.2 million new homes
Australia's construction sector will have the capacity to build one million new homes over five years, Housing Minister Julie Collins says, as builders question whether the industry has enough workers to carry out the ambitious plan.
Construction industry collapses surge as sector battles inflation, cash flow limitations and the COVID hangover
Construction company collapses have surged over the last 12 months, as Australian builders battle the end of COVID-era economic stimulus, vulnerabilities in long-established payment models and the impact of rapid inflation and interest rate rises.
Empathy, values and opportunity: How this construction company landed more than 2000 job applications in 2022
Cobild proudly bills itself as ‘not your typical construction company’; it continuously appears on Best Places to Work lists, and it is certified by UNICEF and Parents at Work as a family-inclusive workplace.
ABCC recovers more than $13.5 million for subcontractors as its time draws to a close
Australia’s controversial building regulator has managed to help subcontractors get more than $13.5 million in invoices paid over past three years.
Contracts, cashflow and equity: Five signs a building company might collapse
The last year has been tough on the building industry with around eight in 10 construction companies forced to use their own funds in order to complete a client's home.
Metricon to cut workforce by 9% as inflationary pressures and a building backlog weigh on the sector
Hardship continues for Australia's largest home-builder Metricon, which is set to reduce its 2500-strong headcount as the sector is buffeted by economic headwinds.
Builders call for support as housing costs rise 9%, while Jim Chalmers prepares to dampen economic expectations
The federal government should keep the Australian Building and Construction Commission in place and compensate building contractors for projects which skyrocket in price, construction industry organisations say.
ABCC has powers wound back as federal government prepares its abolition
The government this week will take the first step in killing off the controversial Australian Building and Construction Commission by stripping back its powers “to the bare legal minimum”.
Cash-in-hand leniency is well and truly over, ATO says, after receiving 43,000 ‘shadow economy’ tip-offs
The ATO has unveiled new data on its 'shadow economy' enforcement activities, as it cracks down on unregulated transactions estimated to keep $11 billion from the taxpayer each year.
Tradies in Paradise: Qld scheme offering $1750 to relocate workers reportedly draws 12 applicants
The scheme was designed to bolster the state's tradie workforce after the devastating floods which impacted southeast Queensland in March and early April.
