Roads Australia has welcomed the release of an Unacceptable Behaviours Guide to help eliminate criminal and unlawful behaviour on construction sites.
An initiative of Transport for NSW, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority, the Guide explains the types of unacceptable on-site behaviours and how to report them to a regulator or law enforcement authority.
Roads Australia Chief Executive Ehssan Veiszadeh said: “This is a proactive step to reset expectations about acceptable behaviour on construction sites and establish a zero-tolerance culture for violence and intimidation.
“Abusive behaviour on construction sites is intolerable and particularly undermines years of effort to improve construction industry culture and increase the number of women in the sector. As Roads Australia highlighted in our pre-election advocacy, it’s also a significant drag on productivity as criminal elements seek to disrupt and delay project completion.
“We warmly welcome the cross-government collaboration to address concerns raised by industry on this issue and commend the Roads Australia Board Directors who have driven this important work forward, namely Sally Stannard, Kevin Devlin and Camilla Drover.
“Addressing culture on major infrastructure construction sites must remain a priority for Australia’s governments, including in the current debate around opportunities to improve stagnant sector productivity.
“Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our workforce must be at the heart of productivity reform efforts, particularly if we are to attract and retain the talent needed to deliver transformational infrastructure for Australia’s growing communities,” Mr Veiszadeh said.
Roads Australia’s forthcoming report Rethinking transport infrastructure delivery: Practical reforms to boost Australia’s productivity will include specific recommendations addressing this very issue.
