Influx of low-carbon timber coming to Australian construction
A $300 million grant from the government to support the use and development of low-carbon engineered wood products looks to change the fabric of Australian construction in the years ahead.
The new program, announced by Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor, will promote the use of low-carbon timber in the new builds for apartments and office buildings to reduce construction-related emissions and create jobs in the forest industries.
It may not come soon enough to alleviate the rising building costs of today, but it should have a flow-on effect of helping to correct a projected major shortfall of timber housing frames over the next decade, according to Master Builders Australia, which welcomed the government’s announcement.
“Master Builders Australia has called for measures that will assist the industry to make use of more sustainable building materials without imposing excessive costs on the industry or consumers,” Master Builders Australia’s chief executive Denita Wawn said.
“Today’s announcement of $300 million to incentivise the greater use of low-carbon engineered wood products in commercial and medium density housing is a big pragmatic policy win for the building, construction and forest industries, consumers and the environment,” she said.
Ms Wawn noted the new incentive would assist in bringing down the cost of construction while also helping to “develop local capacity in low-carbon timber product manufacture and deliver healthier buildings for our clients and the community”.
She added that programs such as this one were needed to urge consumers to make more sustainable building choices without having to shoulder outsized additional costs.
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