New report outlines national strategy for advancing decarbonisation in the built environment

A new report has found that only about half the workforce delivering Australia's $213 billion, five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline is currently contributing to net-zero outcomes.

Released in August 2025, the Delivering Net Zero Infrastructure: Workforce Report outlines a national strategy to address workforce skill shortages in the built environment that are limiting Australia's ability to decarbonise its infrastructure projects. The report was developed by Infrastructure Net Zero, a coalition of industry and government bodies formed in 2023 to guide and accelerate the decarbonisation of Australia's infrastructure sector. Some of these bodies include Infrastructure Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia, the Infrastructure Sustainability Council and the Department of Infrastructure, among others.

The report defines and quantifies the current net-zero infrastructure workforce - workers whose responsibilities include reducing project emissions - and provides recommendations for growing this workforce. According to the report, buildings and infrastructure "are responsible for almost a third of Australia's emissions and indirectly responsible for over half."

Infrastructure Australia CEO Adam Copp said the success of reducing these emissions will depend on the strength of the infrastructure net-zero workforce, which currently stands at 130,000 workers across 36 occupations, including construction managers, engineers, architects and tradespeople. While this represents just over half of those working on Australia's Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline, Copp noted that "more can be done to engage the rest of the workforce" across all stages of the project lifecycle to support net zero targets.

The report's main recommendation is that governments, industry and educators develop a new, industry-wide training program to promote a consistent national approach for decarbonising projects in the built environment.

Infrastructure Net Zero chair Jonathan Cartledge stated that the race to net-zero infrastructure is also a race for skills. "For the first time, we have a clear picture of the workforce it will take, and this report sets out a pathway for industry and government to ensure we have the people to design and build that net zero future," said Cartledge.

Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council CEO Alison Scotland stated that reaching Australia's net-zero objective "demands more than policy and investment," it requires a skilled workforce capable of designing and implementing net-zero infrastructure at scale.

The full report, along with its recommendations, can be accessed online.