Multi Outcome Construction Policy (final report)

ConclusionsThe evidence that has been compiled on the leveraging of social outcomes on publicconstruction projects raises substantial concerns about the net social benefits of manycurrent interventions. Several interventions appear to involve a ‘light’ approach to theimposition of training or employment obligations on contractors. As such, they havethe advantage of keeping administrative and additional contracting costs to aminimum. However, the positive impacts of the policy interventions on training andemployment outcomes also appear to have been very small.The comparison of the policy approaches adopted in Queensland and WesternAustralia has yielded some insights into possible improvements. The positiveassessment of the impact of the committee established to provide industry feedbackon the 10% Training Policy in Queensland indicates that structures of this type couldbe important innovations in other jurisdictions and for other policies. The higher levelof resourcing of Indigenous Employment Policies in Queensland – together with theadoption of employment and training targets for specific indigenous communities –appears to have been much more successful than the WA approach, based on tenderpreference. The resourcing of the Industry Capability Network in Queensland -together with the adoption of a flexible approach to the application of the LocalEmployment Policy – appears to have avoided many of the problems experiencedwith the WA Buy Local Policy.Generally, however, the project has highlighted that in the absence of strong industrycommitment to policy objectives, policy interventions are likely to result in highlevels of avoidance activity, substantial administrative costs and very few benefits.Thus, for policy action on, for example, training or local employment to besuccessful, compliance issues must be adequately addressed.It is important to note in contrast the percent for art policies reviewed here, whichprovided for extensive consultation in the implementation of the policy in specificprojects. While this consultation necessitated considerable involvement of time, thenet effect was to engage these stakeholders in active decision making processes166