James Smith’s Post

Today my colleague Gavin Sharpe and I were able to attend the Property Council of Australia Queensland lunch with the premier event at Southbank. It was insightful hearing Steven Miles speak about issues that are surrounding the construction industry in a contemporary setting. The Q&A was constructive and addressed issues surrounding the housing crisis, infrastructure upgrades and the 2032 Olympic Games. #hays #recruitment #brisbane #construction #propertycouncil

Last night Jim Chalmers handed down his Federal Budget for 2024-2025. There are a number of changes that will benefit contemporary Australian's struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, with tax cuts, electricity bill rebates and rental assistance all premiering in the new budget. Some commentators are warning that this budget will contribute to the inflationary climate we have experienced over the past few years; however, I believe that there are many positive changes coming from this budget that are necessary to improve the quality of life of Australian's around the country. The Building and Construction industry has benefitted from this budget, with funding being allocated to boost housing supply, increase the construction workforce and improve transport infrastructure. The changes being implemented should theoretically ease the shortage of housing, while also creating ample opportunity for the industry. We will also see more university accommodation projects being constructed over the coming years, with the Government pushing back on universities to house international students, which will alleviate pressures being experienced in the rental market. Let me know what your thoughts are below! #Construction #Budget #Government #Infrastructure #SocialHousing #Hays #Recruitment

Good Afternoon LI! The article below highlights how far behind Brisbane is falling in terms of housing for it's ever-growing population. Housing is a major issue Brisbane (and Australia in general) is facing. According to the Government, Brisbane requires an additional 7,500 attached dwellings constructed each year to keep up with projected population growth. Between 2020 and 2023, we delivered less than 2,000 apartments each year. Even though we are due to expect more dwellings in 2024 (just under 3,000), we are still well and truly short of our required targets. The concerning figure is that this number is set to drop to less than 1,500 in 2025. This lack of supply will increase house prices and also result in tenants paying more in rent. This is highly concerning considering the stress that the general population is already experiencing with the cost of living crisis. Incentives need to be put into place to encourage more developers to build high density developments here in SEQ. Let me know your thoughts below. #Hays #Construction #Recruitment #CostOfLiving #Housing #Apartments

The Queensland government this week has released it's new BPIC agreement for construction workers in Queensland. In my opinion, I can't see this being beneficial to Queensland, as this will only fuel the inflationary prices we are seeing in the Queensland construction industry. Most projects affected by this deal will be State-funded projects, meaning the QLD tax payers will be footing the bill. Let me know your thoughts below. #Construction #Hays #QLD

Today has been a rollercoaster of emotions for myself as a proud Queenslander of 30 years and passionate sports fan. In January, the QLD government commissioned a 60-day review into the Brisbane Olympics and today they presented the government with their findings. I was more than delighted to hear that they recommended a world-class stadium to be built at Victoria Park. Although this would be a slightly more expensive option than redeveloping the Gabba, it would have provided Brisbane with an elite stadium in the inner-city. They discovered that the Gabba Redevelopment project was not viable and not the best value-for-money project for the Olympics and beyond. The review specifically recommended against utilising QSAC as an Olympic stadium for a variety of well though-out reasons, including the fact it will be a nightmare to get to and from due to the lack of suitable public transport. Disappointingly, the QLD Gov has decided that they will choose to upgrade QSAC for the Olympic games. This decision was made despite their own independent review committee recommending against it. Personally, I don't see the point of hosting the Olympics at all if we can't use this opportunity to improve Brisbane's liveability. Upgrading QSAC is a waste of money and not beneficial to Queensland. Let me know your thoughts. #Brisbane2032 #Olympics #Brisbane #Hays #Construction

Great day on Friday! Was a fantastic opportunity to network with the industry, as well as spend some quality time collaborating with my colleagues from other offices!

Good Afternoon LinkedIn. Looking for your opinion on this sunny Tuesday afternoon in relation to the below article. I have been an advocate for nuclear power for some time due to a myriad of factors. Australia is the most equipped country in the world to operate nuclear power plants. We have the largest Uranium deposits in the world, making up a 1/3rd of the world's Uranium reserves. We also have thousands of kilometres of coastline that's free of natural disasters (the cause of the Fukushima disaster). Nuclear power produces extrordinarily clean energy, with a small amount of nuclear waste. Australia has a stupendous amount of inhabitable land where we could store nuclear waste indefinitely. We are the only country out of the top 20 economies that has not adopted nuclear power. There are a vast amount of pro's for nuclear power (as well as a number of con's) and I am excited to see this national conversation develop. Would love to hear from my LI network regarding this! Let me know your thoughts and opinions below. #Nuclearpower #Renewableenergy #Hays #Nuclearconstruction

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Team Manager at Hays!