James Hardie and Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue unite industry leaders to tackle the GWS housing challenge

Greater Western Sydney is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions and will play a critical role in delivering the homes, communities and infrastructure New South Wales needs for the future.

Meeting this challenge is about more than construction volume. It requires coordinated action across government, industry and education to build workforce capability, improve productivity and support housing delivery at scale.

As part of its ongoing commitment to strengthening construction skills and creating clearer pathways into trade careers, James Hardie partnered with the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue to host the GWS Construction & Skills Forum at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence in Kellyville on 3 September 2026.

Bringing industry, education and government together

The forum brought together leaders from government, industry, vocational education and construction delivery to discuss practical responses to Greater Western Sydney’s housing and workforce challenges.

A key highlight of the event was the participation of the Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building and Minister for Corrections. The Minister delivered a keynote address outlining the NSW Government’s priorities for strengthening the building sector, supporting innovation and improving productivity.

The discussion continued with a panel featuring Brad Armitage, Executive Director NSW at the Housing Industry Association; Amy Morgan, Director of Institutes of Applied Technology and National Centres of Excellence at TAFE NSW; Richard Pym, Preconstruction Director at Decode Group; and John Arneil, APAC President at James Hardie. Moderated by Faith Halliday, CEO of StratWest, the panel explored practical solutions to construction skills shortages, productivity constraints and the opportunities presented by innovation and cross-sector collaboration.

The event concluded with a fireside chat featuring qualified carpenter and Parramatta Eels NRL player, Araz Nanva, and Education Program Manager, Kirstene Ciappara, who shared their perspectives on sport, trades and career pathways, and how industry can better engage and inspire the next generation of construction workers.

Launching a shared agenda for Greater Western Sydney

The forum also marked the launch of Building Capacity: Addressing the GWS Housing Challenge, a co-branded report from the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue and James Hardie. The report localises the national construction workforce challenge to Greater Western Sydney, highlighting the region’s importance to housing delivery, trade pathways and construction capability.

Adam Leto, CEO of the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, said, “Not only is Greater Western Sydney responsible for delivering around 40 per cent of new dwellings in Sydney, it is also home to the city’s ‘tradie-belt’, where the highest concentration of construction workers reside.”

“Housing is one of the region’s greatest challenges, but it also presents one of its greatest opportunities. We need to reimagine how we develop workforce skills and create a pipeline of talent capable of building the homes, communities and infrastructure Sydney needs for the future.”

The role of Western Sydney in addressing the national challenge

For James Hardie, focusing efforts in the region where many of its people work and live is an important step towards helping address the national shortage of construction workers and supporting progress towards the National Housing Accord’s aspirational target of 274,000 new homes per year.

The forum forms part of James Hardie’s broader commitment to helping address Australia’s residential construction workforce challenge. This includes the national whitepaper Rebuilding Capacity: Addressing Australia’s Construction Trade Labour Shortage Through Productivity, Innovation and Pathways, which identifies opportunities to improve productivity, adopt innovation and strengthen construction career pathways.

James Hardie is also helping make construction careers more visible through the recently launched Trade Off series, created in collaboration with the Parramatta Eels, alongside local school engagement activity designed to introduce more young people to the opportunities available in the trades.

Turning discussion into action

Following a successful pilot, James Hardie has partnered with TAFE NSW across 35 campuses to help apprentices prepare for real-world scenarios. Together with collaborations with organisations such as the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, these initiatives connect industry awareness with practical pathways into the trades.

John Arneil, APAC President at James Hardie, said, “Construction is already a powerhouse industry in Western Sydney. Targeted training and micro-credentials can equip workers with specific construction skills needed on today’s building sites, including prefabrication, modern construction methods, and specialist installation techniques."

“As Western Sydney continues to grow, we need to work smarter and do more with less by using modern materials and methods that help reduce build time and the labour intensity of residential construction.”

Through the GWS Construction & Skills Forum, its broader skills program and its workforce whitepapers, James Hardie is helping bring together government, industry and education leaders to identify practical solutions that support workforce development, improve productivity and strengthen housing delivery outcomes across Greater Western Sydney.