Welcome to the Building Industry Bulletin

The quarterly building industry bulletin aims to provide updates on the latest trends within the Queensland building industry as relevant to the activities of the Department of Public Works.

NIEIR Queensland regional construction activity update

The latest report from the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) estimates total Queensland construction activity was $5,096M (in 2001/2002 prices) at June quarter 2004, a 3% increase from March quarter 2004. NIEIR projects that although the level of construction activity for Queensland is expected to decline over the next few quarters, continued substantial labour shortages are likely to result in further increases in real construction costs in the year ahead.
[ View the full report ]
DPW Contractor Survey

There has been little shift in the reported difficulties in employing subcontractors according to the results of the second survey conducted of prequalified building contractors. Nearly two thirds (64%) of participants in Brisbane reported a shortage, particularly in the plumbing, plastering and wall and floor tiling trades.
[ View the full report ] DPW Tender Activity

There was an average of three tenderers per project in September quarter, representing a decline of 21% from the same quarter in 2003.
[ View the table ] Building Materials Cost Comparison

The latest price movements in selected building materials have been sourced from Reed Construction Data. The period between June and September quarter 2004 saw increases in the cost of face bricks (17.53%) and 200mm standard concrete blocks (5.19%).
[ View the full table ]