Australian federal election results, from the September 7^th election, have shown an apparent increase in business confidence by property investors.  An article by ABC News in Australia, mentions the Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association Performance of Construction Index rising by 3.9 points to a more than three-year high of 47.6 in September. The index also shows that housing growth has marked its first increase since 2010.

Independent, industry organizations are an integral part of Australia’s support system for the growth of quality infrastructure. The Concrete Institute of Australia is one such organization, which aims to be the go-to for the concrete industry in Australia. They recently held their conference – Concrete 2013, the 26^th Biennial Conference of the Concrete Institute of Australia – at the Gold Coast Conference and Exhibition Centre in Queensland from October 16 – 18, 2013. The theme was ‘Understanding Concrete’, with a mission to advance knowledge and practices in all aspects of concrete materials, waterproofing and structures.

Designers, contractors and researchers from around Australia, attended the event. Not only did the conference provide an excellent forum for the sharing of knowledge and experiences with 97 seminars, it continues to provide a great opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing.