Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed Infrastructure Australia's 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report, saying governments must now drive procurement reform and adopt nationally harmonised, performance-based standards to unlock the full potential of Australia's construction materials sector.
CCAA Chief Executive Michael Kilgariff said the report confirms a substantial five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline increasing by $29 billion to reach $242 billion across housing, transport, energy and social infrastructure, and reinforces the need to shift from "lowest-cost" tendering towards procurement that rewards performance, innovation and emissions reduction over an asset's full life.
"Concrete and quarry products are the backbone of Australia's housing, transport and energy build-out," Mr Kilgariff said.
"To deliver this pipeline, governments need smarter procurement that values quality, resilience and lower embodied carbon, not just the cheapest upfront bid."
"Consistent market pull for modern construction materials is essential if we're to meet both delivery and decarbonisation goals. Our members are already supplying low-carbon concretes using fly ash, slag, silica fume, calcined clays and recycled fines; what's missing is a clear, consistent demand signal."
CCAA is calling for nationally harmonised, performance-based standards to reduce duplication across jurisdictions and give industry confidence to invest in new plant, equipment and low-carbon product development.
The organisation also welcomed the report's focus on the circular economy, which aligns with CCAA's long-standing advocacy for a practical, materials-led approach. The report highlights growing expectations that major projects use recycled and low-carbon materials, and the need for procurement frameworks that create reliable market pull for recycled aggregates and low-carbon concretes.
CCAA maintains that the circular economy in construction will only scale if governments provide long-term signals for high-quality recycled and low-carbon products. Nationally consistent specifications would enable greater use of recycled aggregates, reclaimed fines and low-carbon binders while ensuring safety and durability. This would also support further investment in processing, certification and innovation across the sector.
"Nationally consistent, performance-based standards will make it easier and less risky for governments to procure low-carbon concrete at scale," Mr Kilgariff said.
"This kind of market pull is one of the most practical steps we can take to support productivity, sustainability and delivery of the pipeline."
"If we align procurement, standards and project pipelines, we can maintain the flow of essential materials while accelerating uptake of lower-emissions products, turning today's record pipeline into long-term economic, social and environmental value."
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.
