We may live to regret open-slather construction stimulus
Many countries around the world, including Australia, are looking to the construction industry to help rebuild economies. We should not ignore the risks involved in the rush to get the economy going again.
Professor Martin Loosemore, School of Built Environment
Many countries around the world, including Australia, are looking to the construction industry to help rebuild economies. Industry bodies such as the Master Builders Association are strongly urging governments to bring forward spending on already approved infrastructure projects. They also want these projects to be unbundled into smaller contract packages so small local businesses and the whole sector get a piece of the pie.
We should not ignore the risks involved in the rush to get the economy going again. We will pay for mistakes made now in the form of debt created by cost blowouts and unscrupulous developers. We will have to live with poor-quality, ill-conceived and environmentally damaging developments for decades.
Of course, construction and infrastructure programs provide us with a powerful stimulus tool. It’s why federal and state governments are looking to this sector to drive recovery. The social impact of investing in more construction and infrastructure could certainly be significant.
- Read the full story in The Conversation: We may live to regret open-slather construction stimulus
