CCAA says housing supply depends on local materials
Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia backed the Productivity Commission’s planning reform push on housing supply, but warned governments must also secure heavy construction materials for new homes and infrastructure.
CCAA named concrete, cement and aggregates as the core materials needed for every home, road, school, hospital and utility network in Australia.
Michael Kilgariff, CCAA chief executive officer, said faster approvals would help only if governments also planned long-term material supply near the communities that need new housing.
“Concrete, cement and aggregates are the foundation of every home, road, school, hospital and utility network,” Mr Kilgariff said.
According to CCAA, local supply matters because transport distance drives cost, delivery time and pressure on freight routes.
Michael Kilgariff on quarry supply
CCAA called for Heavy Construction Materials Plans to identify future demand, protect strategic resource sites and keep quarrying, transport and processing infrastructure aligned with population growth.
Michael Kilgariff said quarries close to growing communities cut transport costs and reduce strain on roads and freight networks.
“Locating heavy construction material resources close to growing communities is critical to both productivity and affordability,” Mr Kilgariff said.
He also warned that longer transport routes raise construction costs and add pressure to project delivery, roads and freight systems.
CCAA argued that supply problems often emerge after planning decisions block access to local resources needed for housing and infrastructure projects.
Once a quarry is sterilised by incompatible development, CCAA said that resource is lost forever and materials must travel longer distances at higher cost.
Because of that risk, Michael Kilgariff urged governments to plan housing and construction material supply together rather than in isolation.
CCAA wants governments to safeguard local quarries, forecast future demand and expand transport and processing capacity as population growth lifts need for new homes and infrastructure.
As a result, the industry group said planning reform will deliver more lasting housing supply gains if quarry access and material supply stay part of the same policy plan.
