Leading the way on International Women’s Day

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) project is notable and unusual for many reasons, but a little-known aspect of the project is its commitment to gender diversity in the construction industry. 

The AIID will be housed in a purpose-built facility in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, requiring the delivery of a significant construction program over several years. 

Recent Workplace Gender Equality Agency data shows that the Australian construction industry is  male-dominated with 74% of all workers being men. 

The University of Melbourne team delivering the project is determined to address this by using the economic influence of the tendering process to set minimum targets for prospective contractors to meet. 

Firms tendering for major contracts on the project must meet diversity and inclusion targets, including the representation of women in project teams and senior roles, and directing set percentages of the contract value towards to underrepresented groups (including women) to support the construction works. 

This industry-leading approach was recently recognised by procurement leadership organisation The Faculty by winning the Diversity and Inclusion Project of the Year Award in 2023.

The project team itself is leading from the front with a majority-women composition, including the three most senior roles. 

AIID Executive Director Rowan Maclean said she was proud of the leadership role the AIID project has taken in the industry and hopes others will follow suit. 

“I know there are many talented women in our industry, or who aspire to be in our industry, who are sometimes just not given the chances they deserve,” she said. 

“Our project has range of outstanding women in senior roles across our internal project team, our architects, engineers and other contractors, and it’s not by accident. The talent was there, we just needed to nudge it to the fore. 

“By embedding targets into our procurement processes we can influence gender diversity through the supply chain and do our bit towards improving the landscape for the industry more broadly.” 

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Rowan spoke to the Talking Architecture and Design podcast about the AIID project’s efforts to improve gender diversity in the construction industry.