Legislation to establish Infrastructure WA (IWA) is expected to be introduced in State Parliament this week, which will approve IWA as a statutory authority that advises the Premier and Government on infrastructure needs and priorities in Western Australia. The legislation will ensure the state’s long-term infrastructure priorities are informed by robust independent advice and will foster a bipartisan approach and greater collaboration between the government, community and industry. Once established, IWA's immediate task will be to develop a 20-year State Infrastructure Strategy that will identify WA’s... more

WorkSafe inspectors will be focusing on the risks of falling objects when they visit Victorian building sites over the next few weeks. Falling objects are a leading cause of death and serious injury in the construction industry and pose a risk not only to workers but to people in streets near work sites. According to WorkSafe, there has been five deaths and 721 injuries caused by falling objects at construction sites over the past five years. In January alone, there was an incident involving falling objects at a Southbank site where a piece of timber fell 22 floors after it snapped in half while being ... more

Infrastructure Australia has just released the 2019 Infrastructure Priority List, identifying a record 121 nationally significant infrastructure proposals and a $58 billion project pipeline which is set to foster the nation’s growth. Each year Infrastructure Australia releases the Infrastructure Priority List to reflect emerging infrastructure priorities across Australia and to provide independent, evidence-based advice to the industry and governments on the projects that would greatly assist communities to meet the challenges of the future. Infrastructure Australia Chair, Julieanne Alroe, states that th... more

Despite social media giants Google and Facebook hosting their Australian headquarters in Sydney, Melbourne has been named as one of the top global cities for tech firms. The news comes straight from the third edition of global research and property firm Savills’ Tech Cities in Motion report which measures what makes a successful technology-driven city and how they compare to the rest of the world. Savills assessment for each city comprises over 100 individual metrics, ranging from the number of days needed to start a business, through to the cost of a flat white. These metrics are then grouped into s... more

The shortlisted entries in the Australian Library and Information Association's (ALIA) 2019 Library Design Awards have been revealed, highlighting some of the most impressive and creative new library designs that Australia has to offer. Each year the ALIA Library Design Awards aim to celebrate and showcase excellence in new and refurbished libraries across Australia. This year’s awards are divided into three categories: School Libraries, Public Libraries and Academic Libraries. Among the four shortlisted Public Libraries is the Bunjil Place Library, designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp Pty Ltd (fj... more

A new report has found that rising demand for office spaces are driving down vacancy rates in CBDs across Australia, with Melbourne and Sydney now at decade-lows. According to the Property Council of Australia’s latest Office Market Report, Australian office vacancy fell by 0.7 per cent in the six months to January 2019 to 8.5 per cent. The tightest markets over the period were the Melbourne CBD where the vacancy rate fell to 3.2 per cent (down from 3.6 per cent) and the Sydney CBD which dropped to 4.1 per cent (down from 4.6 per cent). The report also recorded a decrease in office vacancy rates in a... more

The Victorian Government has announced that Angela Skandarajah has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Development Victoria. Development Victoria is an important partner in the Victorian Government’s infrastructure program, delivering projects that create cultural and recreational facilities, and bring key urban and regional precincts to life. Ms Skandarajah is set to bring a wealth of leadership and governance experience to the role, recently holding the title of Development Victoria’s acting Chief Executive and General Counsel and has been a long-term contributor to the Property Coun... more