Media Statement: 08 May 2020

May 7, 2020 Guest User

INDUSTRY BODY SUPPORTS INCREASED SOCIAL HOUSING, OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION DURING COVID-19

Increased social housing construction can help lead Australia's economic response to COVID-19 (e.g. ‘Calls for surplus land to be used for public housing as pandemic bites’, The Age, May 4 2020).

prefabAUS is the national peak body representing Australia’s offsite prefabricated design and construction industry. There is enormous potential for offsite construction to support governments, building, allied industries and training organisations through this current crisis.

Offsite is ideally situated to provide quality, cost-efficient and sustainable residential, commercial and institutional buildings. New technologies and advanced manufacturing processes improve design and construction efficiencies by:

lowering project costs by up to 30%
reducing project delays by up to 40%
cutting CO2 emissions by as much as 50%
minimising construction waste by up to 80% ¹

Workers from conventional building projects can be redeployed and reskilled on offsite design and construction projects.

Offsite can also rapidly accelerate the design and construction of Indigenous housing and BAL-compliant new homes and other buildings for bushfire-affected communities. It can minimise the risk of COVID-19 spread through testing, safe work practices ³ and reduced numbers of outside workers and time spent in communities. This is in addition to creating jobs and new skills for community and local contractors.

prefabAUS appreciates existing government investment in offsite construction e.g. $4M in 2015 ² for the ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing, and Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews’ March announcement of $28M funding for the Building 4.0 CRC ¹ . The Victorian government recently included $209 million in its state budget for an additional 1000 public housing properties announced by Victorian Housing Minister Richard Wynne. Further state, federal and industry initiatives and investment can lead Australia out of the current economic crisis.

prefabAUS co-founder and Chair Damien Crough said: “There is enormous potential for offsite construction to rapidly increase quality, affordable and sustainable construction through project time and cost savings. Collaboration with industry, government and research partners can save and create many thousands of jobs during these very difficult and uncertain times”.

ENDS.