Construcciones Yamaro, by Armando Iachini

The new index aims to improve transparency across Australia’s build-to-rent sector. (Image: richard pross/stock.adobe.com) The Property Council of Australia and MSCI have launched a new industry index, which shows Australia’s build-to-rent sector is gaining scale. The Property Council/MSCI Australia Build-to-Rent Property Index tracks 13 funds, 44 assets and 25 developments with a combined capital value of $10 billion. The index provides institutional investors with a performance benchmark for evaluating build-to-rent as a standalone allocation or comparing it with established commercial property sectors. Property Council group executive policy and advocacy Matthew Kandelaars said improved data and transparency will support further investment in the sector. Related stories: Freecity gets green light for mixed-use precinct at Rouse Hill Metro One Global Capital launches $1.5 billion Five Dock precinct Opal Tower wins big at NSW Apartment Awards for Excellence “Build-to-rent h...

Construction sites should prepare for wet weather to prevent sediment run-off. (Image: Happy Photo/stock.adobe.com) Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has urged construction site managers to prepare for wet weather and prevent sediment from escaping into surrounding waterways. Rainfall after dry periods can wash exposed soil from construction sites, while sediment can also be carried off site by vehicles. EPA Victoria executive director operations Rachel Gualano said site managers should take preventative measures to stop sediment escaping. “We all have a duty to prevent harm to the environment, and sediment run-off creates a pollution risk. Erosion and sediment can pollute our waterways, impact water quality , and harm the animals and plants that live there,” she said. Related stories: Transmutation sets the terms for decarbonisation Expert Profile: Coates’ Aaron Smith First solar-powered level crossings delivered on Inland Rail “When sediment gets into our wat...

Australia’s infrastructure pipeline is increasing demand for skilled workers. (Image: Nuttapong punna/stock.adobe.com) Australia’s construction workforce shortages show why international expertise should be assessed on capability, not geography, writes Ajay Adhikari. By Ajay Adhikari, contract management and procurement professional. Australia’s infrastructure pipeline is placing heavy demand on an already stretched workforce. Infrastructure Australia’s 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity report projects that the infrastructure workforce shortage could exceed 300,000 full-time-equivalent workers by mid-2027. Despite this demand, international construction expertise can be screened out through one familiar phrase: “lack of local experience”. From international experience to local practice Local experience can represent legitimate knowledge. Australian contract forms, legislation, procurement systems and workplace expectations all need to be understood. The problem arises when ge...

The 82-storey towers will be among the tallest in Sydney’s CBD. (Images: Billbergia Group and Metrics Credit Partners) The City of Sydney has approved plans for the $3.5 billion Castlereagh Place development, with demolition and early construction works now under way. The mixed-use project by Billbergia Group and Metrics Credit Partners will comprise two 82-storey towers containing 607 apartments above an eight-level podium with a 209-room hotel. The development will also include a 1,000-square-metre civic park at ground level, along with food, beverage and retail offerings. A three-level building on the corner of Pitt and Liverpool streets will form the gateway to the precinct and is designed to accommodate multiple hospitality venues. Billbergia Group director Joseph Kinsella said Castlereagh Place will create a lively mixed-use destination. “It will bring the vibrancy of places like Barangaroo and Darling Quarter into a more accessible, central destination at the very heart of...

L-R: Marcus Harrold, general manager, employment at Clontarf Foundation; artist Jermaine Miller-Lewis; Grant Morgan, senior people and culture manager at Komatsu Australia; and Glenn Swift, regional general manager, western region at Komatsu Australia. (Image: Komatsu Australia) Komatsu Australia has partnered with Noongar and Yamatji man Jermaine Miller-Lewis to create an Indigenous artwork celebrating its partnership with the Clontarf Foundation. The design will feature on a new employee polo shirt. Miller-Lewis, based in Perth, was part of the Clontarf Foundation during his teenage years. The not-for-profit organisation supports young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men through education, mentoring and employment pathways. Komatsu Australia has partnered with Clontarf for the past six years, supporting the foundation through mentoring and career opportunities, work experience, mock interviews and funding to help empower Indigenous students to achieve their potential. This ye...

Project representatives inspected TBM Mary as tunnelling commenced on the Southern Tunnel. (Images: South Australian Government) After months spent assembling one of the largest machines ever used in South Australia, tunnelling is now underway on the $15.4 billion River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project to deliver a non-stop South Road. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Mary has started excavating the first 4.5-kilometre Southern Tunnel from the Southern Precinct at Clovelly Park to Glandore. Operating 24/7, Mary will progress about eight to 10 metres per day, with up to 20 specialised workers inside at any one time as she embarks on the state’s first major underground road tunnelling project. Mary’s first components arrived in Adelaide in October 2025. Since then, each component has been lifted into the launch box by a 500-tonne gantry crane before being assembled into the mega machine. Measuring about 100 metres in length, 15 metres in diameter and weighing 3,500 tonnes, Mary is one...