From Concrete to Connection: Constructing a Fairer, Greener Victoria
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Article Summary
- Victorian capital Melbourne faces a housing crunch and climate pressures, and reforms in construction are crucial to restore liveability while expanding supply in a fair and sustainable way.
- Melbourne Build Expo highlighted the need for cultural inclusion, lower carbon construction and stronger collaboration so the sector can drive better social and environmental outcomes.
- Panels stressed reconciliation with First Nations communities, a genuine push to net zero and housing solutions that prioritise stability, access and long term community wellbeing.
By Alexi Freeman
For seven years running, Melbourne held the crown of ‘World’s Most Liveable City’, until 2017, when the housing crisis knocked it from its perch.
To build a more caring future, the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Big Build initiative seeks to deliver 800,000 new homes by 2035.
Yet with Melbourne’s population tipped to exceed 8 million by 2050 — and rising temperatures further threatening liveability — there is much to be done.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan underscored the urgency, saying recently: “In a national housing crisis, we know the only way to make housing more affordable is to build more homes. And we know the only way to build more homes is to work with industry to get the job done.”
Allan captures the scale of the challenge for a construction sector that is pivotal and problematic, infamous as one of Australia’s dirtiest and least inclusive industries.
Systemic reforms are needed to bring construction up to speed, including decarbonisation, gender diversity, and integration of First Nations knowledge.
Spanning two choc-a-bloc days, Melbourne Build Expo aimed to bridge knowledge, policy, and collaboration gaps.
The program showcased 175 exhibitors and 450 speakers across 12 summits, drawing around 10,000 attendees — architects, builders, designers, engineers, and policymakers — into thought-provoking conversations, enabling the construction industry with practical tools for change.
Diversity, Inclusion & Reconciliation Summit
The Empowering First Nations Communities in Construction panel advocated for a people-centric approach to Closing the Gap, calling for a deeper commitment to ensuring First Nations leadership is at the table — and on site.
Speakers emphasised that Indigenous procurement policies are only as effective as the human relationships they’re built on, and that facilitating self-determination and community-led design are critical drivers of First Nations empowerment.
Moderator Peter Mousaferiadis (CEO, Cultural Infusion) unpacked the dire need for reconciliation to extend beyond apologies and virtue signalling into reconcilli-action — producing tangible opportunities and outcomes for mob.
Lisa Goodman (Inland Rail) discussed how historical government policies, such as the White Australia Policy, sought to dilute cultural identity, noting that “tea is tea no matter how much milk you put in.”
Adelaide Cowan (Lendlease) spoke about the importance of empowering First Nations employees to present as their holistic selves, sharing stories, knowledge, and insights. “I get to bring 65+ 1000 years of knowledge that’s been passed down through our family.”
From legislating cultural competency training to genuine power-sharing on major infrastructure projects, the panel was transparent: reconciliation isn’t a checkbox — it’s a red-black-and-yellow blueprint for building a fairer, more diverse and inclusive industry.
Sustainability Summit
While the First Nations panel focused on cultural sustainability, the Net Zero Buildings: Achieving Carbon Neutrality in Construction panel zeroed in on the environmental kind, and the mood was no-nonsense.
With buildings and infrastructure directly responsible for nearly a third of Australia’s carbon footprint — and in the wake of the federal Government’s recent 2035 climate targets — the clock’s ticking on transforming lofty goals into constructive action.
This panel examined how rethinking supply chains, embracing circularity, enhancing efficiencies, and decoupling from fossil fuel-based electricity could rewire the industry from the ground up.
As we navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI-based tools such as Digital Twins and low-carbon materials — including green steel, calcined clay, basalt fibre, and hempcrete — become household names, there are reasons for optimism.
Jessamine Welsh (Spark D&C) said: “Carbon savings should equal dollar savings; you’re emitting less, you’re spending less. Sustainability is about finding balance between economics, governance, and environmental factors.”
Nevertheless, the third rail of politics remains a roadblock — remember former PM Julia Gillard’s short-lived Carbon Tax?
Until major contractors and governments collaborate to scale investment in decoupling construction from fossil fuels, the race to net zero risks becoming more of a scantily clad greenwashing exercise than an appropriately dressed transformation toward a decarbonised future.
Future of Housing Summit
As the Australian Dream of owning a home in the burbs fades in the rear-vision mirror, the Future Outlook for Housing in Victoria and Australia session defogged the windscreen, revealing how rising land and construction costs, supply chain shortages, planning regulations, and climate stressors are reshaping what home means in modern Australia.
Rezoning and increasing density limits in (and beyond) activity centres were highlighted as massive drivers, alongside smaller-scale boutique projects — such as build-to-rent models and adaptive reuse projects — commended for their potential to move the needle on housing affordability and availability.
Future Housing panellist Matt Walton (Home) noted that, ”zoning is the biggest lever that can unlock development straightaway.”
Walton advocated for an uplift in the quantity, quality, and sustainability of new dwellings: “Whilst housing numbers are a good headline, it’s more about housing stability, and ensuring every Victorian has access to a secure, affordable, well-designed home.”
Speakers agreed long-term housing solutions hinge on stronger and more cohesive collaboration between government and the private sector, with policy, planning, and design working hand-in-hand to balance cultural respect, climate resilience, and accessibility — tessellating cornerstones of housing and liveable cities.
Once the last lanyard was tucked away, Melbourne Build reflected an industry in the throes of change.
Whilst exhibitors sought commercial targets, each panel echoed that construction reform isn’t a nice-to-have, but essential for safeguarding Australia’s future.
Empowering First Nations Communities drove home that implementing reconciliation can’t be subcontracted but must be co-designed from the ground up; Net Zero Buildings warned a greener future can’t be built upon business-as-usual foundations; and Future Housing reframed affordability as a human right — a home among the gum trees for every Australian.
There were chinwags galore about materials, sustainability, and who should shape tomorrow, but well-meaning discussions pave the road to you-know-where unless they’re scaffolded by meaningful transformation.
As Melbourne’s vertigo-inducing skyline soars like a Babylonian tower and homes sprawl in the horizon, our collective task is to build with care for Country and all lives housed within it.
In the end, our metric for progress shouldn’t be how eloquently we discuss the challenges, nor by how high or big we build, but by how empathetically we design for more ecologically harmonious and socially connected communities.
Melbourne Build Expo was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) on 22-23 October 2025.
