Executive General Manager – National Building & Growth, Camillo Masci joined Queensland Coordinator-General Gerard Coggan and Arup Roads and Streets Leader Amanda Yeates on a panel led by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) Chief Executive Officer Adrian Dwyer at the IPA Major Projects Symposium last week to discuss ‘Delivering Queensland’s Next Decade of Infrastructure’.
Drawing on perspectives from government, industry and consulting, the panel explored how Queensland can deliver its growing infrastructure pipeline while creating lasting benefits for communities across the state well beyond the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.
Delivering Queensland's next decade of growth
With significant investment underway across transport, health, energy, defence and social infrastructure, the discussion centred on how Queensland is preparing for the opportunities presented by the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and how industry can work together to ensure the pipeline of projects continues in the years following the major event.
Camillo highlighted the importance of project certainty to support workforce development and industry capability.
"We need to maintain momentum right across the market. The government’s Health Rescue Plan is helping create continuity in the building sector state-wide, and it's important that projects continue to move into delivery so we can build capability and confidence ahead of and following the Olympic infrastructure program."
The panel agreed that Queensland's opportunity extends well beyond 2032, with investment needed across both South East Queensland and regional communities to support long-term population and economic growth.
Productivity through collaboration
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of strong collaboration between government and industry in driving productivity.
The conversation explored how innovation, modern methods of construction and off-site manufacturing can help the industry deliver more with the workforce available.
Highlighting the role technology plays in lifting productivity across the construction sector, CIMIC Group’s ToBe Builder platform is one example. By allowing teams to test and refine construction methodologies in a virtual environment before work begins, rework is reduced, design decisions are validated early and coordination improved between project stakeholders. The platform is helping drive more efficient project delivery while maintaining strong safety outcomes.
Camillo emphasised that productivity gains must go hand in hand with maintaining strong safety outcomes and industry standards.
"We have an opportunity to demonstrate that we can deliver projects safely, efficiently and productively. At the same time, we need to embrace innovation and new ways of working that help us attract and retain the workforce needed to deliver Queensland's future infrastructure."
Building the workforce of the future
Workforce availability remains one of the industry's biggest challenges, particularly as demand continues to grow across multiple sectors.
The panel explored practical ways to address this challenge, including attracting skilled workers from interstate, increasing participation across underrepresented groups, and creating more flexible, accessible career pathways.
Camillo emphasised the need to think differently about how the industry attracts and retains talent.
“We need to broaden participation and rethink traditional pathways. Flexible working arrangements, greater opportunities for women, and targeted training programs will all play a critical role in building the workforce required to deliver the pipeline ahead.”
In Western Sydney’s recent transport boom, CPB Contractors established an Australian-first Training Academy to meet the needs of the surge in major project demand. First launched in Homebush in 2016, the academy model created a centralised hub where workers could be trained across multiple skillsets and gain essential certifications, delivering significant impact:
- Training delivered across more than 30 projects in NSW
- Over 61,000 workers onboarded, including around 600 trainees and apprentices (with more than 7% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation)
- More than 260,000 hours of accredited training delivered
- Over 700 full qualifications achieved, alongside 35,000 safety accreditations
- Targeted programs supporting Aboriginal employment pathways, women in construction, and long-term unemployed participants.
Importantly, these academies not only strengthened the existing workforce, but also created new entry points into the industry through structured, supported pathways.
Adoption of a similar Training Academy model has the potential to address workforce shortages while accelerating skills development and workforce participation. By creating a centralised, project-aligned training ecosystem, Queensland can attract new entrants, reskill workers, and better support underrepresented groups into sustainable careers.
Creating a lasting legacy
Looking beyond the Games, panellists reflected on what success could look like for Queensland over the next decade.
For Camillo, success means delivering world-class infrastructure while creating lasting economic, employment and social benefits across the state.
"If we maintain investment, continue building capability and deliver on the opportunities in front of us, Queensland is well positioned to create a lasting legacy that benefits communities long after 2032."
The discussion reinforced that delivering Queensland's future infrastructure pipeline will require collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment from government, industry and communities alike.