- CCAA's Pre-Budget Submission outlines 14 reforms focused on improving freight efficiency and decarbonisation in the construction materials sector
- The organisation calls for improved heavy vehicle access, including Performance-Based Standards vehicles and a National Automated Access System
- Planning delays and urban development are threatening access to quarries and concrete batching plants, pushing materials further from growth areas
- CCAA advocates for performance-based Australian Standards and Environmental Product Declarations to support decarbonisation efforts
- The submission proposes a production credit scheme for low-carbon concrete, similar to the Green Aluminium Production Credit
Cement, Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has released its 2026–27 Pre-Budget Submission, calling on the Australian Government to back 14 targeted reforms to improve freight efficiency, secure access to heavy construction materials and accelerate decarbonisation across cement, concrete and aggregates.
The submission focuses on two national priorities: lifting productivity through heavy vehicle, freight and planning reform, and supporting emissions reduction through modernised standards, procurement and targeted industry incentives.
CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff said the reforms are critical to delivering housing and infrastructure at scale.
“Australia cannot build more homes or deliver major infrastructure without reliable access to cement, concrete and aggregates,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“Our submission makes it clear that productivity is being constrained by slow heavy vehicle access, fragmented planning systems and growing barriers to quarry and batching plant approvals.”
CCAA is urging the Australian Government to incentivise greater use of Performance-Based Standards vehicles, fund the rollout of the National Automated Access System, and progress a fair, usage-based heavy vehicle charging model to replace declining fuel excise revenue.
Mr Kilgariff said these reforms would reduce truck movements, lower construction costs and cut emissions.
“Smarter freight access means fewer trips, safer roads and immediate productivity gains across the construction supply chain,” he said.
The submission also warns that planning delays, urban encroachment and regulatory duplication are threatening long-term access to quarries and concrete batching plants, driving materials further from growth areas.
“When essential materials are forced further from where they are needed, costs rise, congestion increases and emissions go up,” Mr Kilgariff said.
On decarbonisation, CCAA is calling for faster transition to performance-based Australian Standards, expanded use of Environmental Product Declarations, and alignment of Commonwealth infrastructure funding with nationally consistent embodied-carbon measurement.
The submission also proposes a time-limited production credit for low-carbon concrete, modelled on the Green Aluminium Production Credit, to help scale emerging low-emissions technologies.
“These are practical, near-term actions that allow industry to invest with confidence while delivering real emissions reductions,” Mr Kilgariff said.
About us:
About CCAA
CCAA is the voice of Australia’s heavy construction materials industry, an industry that generates over $15 billion annually and directly employs 30,000 Australians, with a further 80,000 employed indirectly. CCAA members produce most of Australia's cement, concrete, and aggregates, which are essential to the nation’s building and construction sectors.
Contact details:
Mitch Itter, Manager Communications | 0431 542 660 | [email protected]