South Australia Reports - November 2010

Local road works boost
The SA Government has committed further funding of $35m to local governments for road maintenance and improvements. This is timely for many CCF SA members who have experienced a hiatus in local government work, brought on by the councils going into caretaker mode in the lead up to the local government elections. Recent reports however, from the Local Government Association of Australia, show that much more needs to be done to avoid increasing local road deterioration.

Infrastructure plan
Infrastructure Minister Patrick Conlon has just announced the release of a discussion paper to update the Strategic Infrastructure Plan for South Australia. There has been a strong call from industry groups to evaluate all potential options and develop a specific SA Transport Plan.

The Committee for Adelaide Roads has raised concerns that SA is the only state without a transport plan and infrastructure planning is done around the annual budget cycle. CCF SA has held discussions with the government and expressed the need for a more detailed infrastructure plan, so that CCF members have a clearer understanding of projects in the pipeline, enabling them to plan accordingly.

Workforce development
At the last election, the SA Government committed to a 15% Workforce Development Policy for major projects. The CCF SA has had discussions with the Minister for Employment Training and Further Education, to ensure that this policy is workable in the civil construction industry. Concerns with the policy have been raised directly with the government. Our main aim in these discussions has been to ensure there is effective support for contractors from the government to achieve sustainable workforce development outcomes.

Discussions have centred on establishing partnerships between government and industry and ensuring that there is continuity of employment for trainees, so that the long term skills needs of the industry are met.

Traineeships in civil construction
A change to training criteria in South Australia is good news for the civil construction industry. Where eligibility criteria are met, up to $14,200 in incentives per trainee is available to employers. This is made up of $4000 of Commonwealth Government Incentives and up to $10,200 paid by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). As well, if eligible, Civil Train SA’s training fees are only $200 per trainee! This comes on top of State Government incentives of no payroll tax and no Workcover fees for trainees.

Civil Train SA has the best trainers and resources to deliver nationally recognised qualifications. The benefits of having formally qualified staff are increased performance and productivity and a safer workplace. Training your staff also improves retention and gives greater job satisfaction. Civil Train SA will tailor its training program to meet your company needs.