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Business View Australia - July 2015 39
$1 billion, they must operate in
at least two states in Australia
and their chief executive or the
equivalent must be a member of
the board of the association.
The association has always been
in a situation where it has ranged
from 14 to 20 members. It is not an
association that looks for significant
growth in member numbers, it’s an
association that merely represents
the major construction companies
in the country and by its very nature
that has a limitation in terms of the
numberofmembersthat itwouldhave.
So it is unlike a normal industry
association which would look
to increase its membership for
a range of reasons. It doesn’t
operate that way. The board of
the association is made up of the
chief executives of the members.”
Leadership role of the ACA
The ACA being composed of the
largest construction companies
in the country plays an important
role in taking up various issues to
ensure the growth and continued
contribution of the industry to
the Australian economy. Towards
this end the board of the ACA has
established five working parties and
each of these includes a number
of executive general managers
from the member companies.
Each working party has anywhere
from six to twelve members and is
mentoredbyonememberof theboard.
The five working parties which are
currently operational are on safety,
work force development and skills,
sustainability, work place relations
and commercial and contractual
issues. The parties work to a strategic
plan which is endorsed by the board.
They are also tasked with working
on projects and developing positions
in relation to advocacy and major
policy items that the association
wishes to be involved with.
Each of the working parties
functions according to the terms
of its strategic plan and deals with
pre-identified issues. The working
party could address matters that
the board wishes to pursue or it
could also respond to items that
come up through the media or
through government proposals.
Safety is a primary issue
The construction industry, by its
very nature, involves a great deal of
outdoor work which is often carried
out in difficult or potentially unsafe
ASSOCIATIONS