Key Facts:
- The establishment of Building Tasmania department creates an opportunity to better coordinate infrastructure planning with construction materials supply
- Recent analysis shows Southeast Tasmania's locally available coarse concrete sand supplies are exhausted, requiring transport from other regions
- Without reliable local materials supply, Tasmania faces risks of higher construction costs, project delays and housing affordability issues
- CCAA is calling for a comprehensive Heavy Construction Materials Plan to address emerging challenges in the industry
- Key priorities include streamlining quarry approvals, protecting strategic resources from urban development, and promoting lower carbon construction materials
Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) says the Tasmanian Government's machinery of government changes present an important opportunity to better coordinate the State's infrastructure pipeline with the supply of heavy construction materials needed to deliver it.
The establishment of the new Building Tasmania department to oversee roads, housing and major infrastructure projects creates an opportunity to strengthen coordination across planning, approvals and project delivery.
As the peak body representing Australia's heavy construction materials industry, CCAA said this coordination will be essential to ensuring Tasmania has a secure and sustainable supply of materials such as cement, concrete, aggregates and sand to support its infrastructure, housing and renewable energy ambitions.
Recent analysis by Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) has also highlighted growing supply pressures, confirming that locally available coarse concrete sand in Southeast Tasmania is effectively exhausted and increasing reliance on transporting materials from other parts of the State.
"The creation of Building Tasmania provides a valuable opportunity to ensure that infrastructure planning and the supply of heavy construction materials are better aligned," said CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff.
"The MRT analysis highlighting the exhaustion of locally available coarse concrete sand in Southeast Tasmania underscores why this coordination is so important. As demand for infrastructure and housing grows, ensuring timely access to construction materials will be critical to keeping projects affordable and on schedule."
"Without a reliable and efficient local materials supply chain, Tasmania risks higher construction costs, project delays and pressure on housing affordability."
Last year, CCAA released its 2025 Tasmanian Election Policy Priorities, which highlighted the growing importance of securing a sustainable supply of heavy construction materials to support Tasmania's economic growth and infrastructure development.
The industry has identified a number of emerging challenges that will require ongoing coordination across government and industry, including approvals processes for quarry developments, increasing demand for materials driven by infrastructure and housing growth, and tightening supply of key resources.
To address these challenges, CCAA is calling on the Tasmanian Government to work with industry to develop a comprehensive Heavy Construction Materials Plan.
"A Heavy Construction Materials Plan would help ensure the State's infrastructure pipeline is supported by a coordinated approach to planning, approvals and materials supply," Mr Kilgariff said.
"This includes streamlining quarry approvals, protecting strategic extractive resources and concrete batching facilities from urban encroachment, and enabling the greater use of lower carbon construction materials."
"With the right policy settings and coordination across government, Tasmania can secure a resilient local materials supply chain that supports jobs, investment and the timely delivery of the infrastructure communities rely on."
About us:
About CCAA CCAA is the voice of Australia's heavy construction materials industry, an industry that generates over $15 billion annually and directly employs 30,000 Australians, with a further 80,000 employed indirectly. CCAA members produce most of Australia's cement, concrete, and aggregates, which are essential to the nation's building and construction sectors.
