As we head into the next federal election, both the Government and the Opposition have outlined their Budget plans—but what do they mean for surveyors and small business?

 

There are encouraging signals from both sides:

• Fee-Free TAFE expansion (Labor) – but still excludes private RTOs, leaving surveying students in QLD, NT, ACT & TAS with no funded pathway.

• Apprentice and trainee incentives (Coalition) – including a target of 400,000 in training and restored SME support.

• Instant Asset Write-Off extended (Labor) and proposed increase to $30,000 (Coalition).

• Commitments to housing and infrastructure – essential for land development and the surveying profession.

• Promises to cut red tape and address industrial relations issues (Coalition), including tackling ongoing concerns with the CFMEU—an important issue for many of our Victorian members.

 

But some critical gaps remain:

• Still no national workforce strategy to address the looming shortfall of over 1,400 surveying professionals by 2024.

• No new support for private RTOs—despite the fact that many surveying students rely on them to train.

• Lack of a clear, long-term migration plan to fill urgent skills gaps, especially in regional Australia.

 

CLICK HERE to read our full summary: 'Federal Budget Reply: What A Coalition Government Would Mean For Surveyors'

 

Surveyors Australia will be pushing all parties to commit to real solutions—funding for all quality training providers, a sustainable workforce plan, support for SME investment, and recognition of surveying in national housing and infrastructure delivery.

We’ll be sharing more insights in the weeks ahead and we invite you to share how these proposals impact your business.

Now is the time to make surveying visible.

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