MBA calls on the federal government to consider the construction sector

Master Builders Australia (MBA) has released a statement requesting the federal government to prioritise repairing Australia's fiscal position and restoring business and consumer confidence in their budget announcement this week.

Wilhelm Harnisch, MBA's chief executive officer outlined the need for "a clear deficit reduction strategy that does not rely on increasing business taxes over the medium term".

He highlighted the importance of the building and construction sector for the overall welfare of the Australian economy.

"When the building and construction industry is strong, the economy is strong. The industry is capable of becoming the economy's next major driver but this requires an appropriate fiscal strategy to strengthen current weak conditions," he explained.

Only recently, the Housing Industry Association released a statement of 'cold, hard facts', stating that building and construction has contracted every month for the last 34 months, and that over a million Australian workers in the industry are watching helplessly as these figures are falling.

If the budget announcement goes as MBA hopes, changes may be possible to help mitigate some of these issues.