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FROM THE CEO WRITTEN BY REBECCA PICKERING chief executive officer & executive director civil apprenticeships & careers ltd The first quarter of 2022 has been eventful, if not challenging – fuel and cost escalation, contract terms, project pipeline, procurement practices, work force capacity and capability (to name a few), have all dominated our conversations with you, as had the 2022 State Election. As we move forward with our new State Government team, we will push on with matters impacting your business, so please keep us informed of what is working for you and what is not. Let’s keep the conversation going so we can build an industry that is strong with investments and relentless with growth, to meet the ever-increasing infrastructure needs of our state and community. This edition of Civil Connect is a diverse read as always, and I hope you will enjoy it.
Rebecca Pickering with the Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP of South Australian Labor Party, and Charles Hatcher, President of CCF SA. 04
2022 STATE ELECTION Before launching into this Civil Connect edition, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Steven Marshall and the Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division), particularly during these most unprecedented of times, for their commitment and service to the state. We would also like to congratulate Peter Malinauskas on being elected the 47th Premier of South Australia. At our Great Debate event in 2021, we invited the Honourable Tom Koutsantonis, MP of the South Australian Labor Party, to share his vision for our state’s infrastructure and civil industry. This kicked off our newly formed and positive relationship with the Labor Party and the momentum hasn’t stopped. Most recently, we again welcomed Tom Koutsantonis to participate in an open and frank discussion with civil industry leaders at CCF SA’s ‘The Forecast for Civil 2022-2026’ event on 10 March 2022. Koutsantonis’ presentation was delivered with the candour and passion clearly felt by those in the room. The Labor Government’s ‘Making the Public Dollar Work’ commitments were discussed, and the positive promises were further backed
by the media release ‘Labor to Back SA Businesses with Major New Reforms for Government Spending’. We are pleased to have come away with the understanding that Labor’s preelection commitments are in keeping with those of CCF SA’s ‘Digging Deep for South Australia Civil Infrastructure Priorities’ document developed with industry for industry mid-2021.
THE GOOD NEWS KEPT ROLLING DURING PRE-ELECTION – WE WERE RECENTLY ALSO INFORMED THAT CCF SA WOULD BE INVITED FOR REGULAR MONTHLY LABOR CABINET BRIEFINGS TO PRESENT IDEAS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND REFORM. We’re pleased to be working with our new Premier, Peter Malinauskas, and his team, to continue reforming, building, and growing South Australia. We are also eagerly awaiting the news of the appointments of Ministers to various state government portfolios, including: Infrastructure and Transport, Industry and Higher Education, Industrial Affairs, Aboriginal Affairs, Education, and, Training and Skills.
