Victoria’s demand for quarry resources to construct housing, hospitals, schools, roads, railways, offices, and other public infrastructure is set to almost double by 2050.
This is a key finding of a landmark report launched today by Minister for Resources Wade Noonan at the Barry Road Community Centre in Melbourne’s booming northern suburbs.
Victoria’s projected population growth and urban development over the coming decades will drive demand for nearly 90 million tonnes of stone, sand, clay and other materials annually, up from the 46 million tonnes needed last year.
Victoria’s 485 operating quarries already produce $676 million worth of these raw resources a year. These resources are transformed into concrete, road base, bricks, paving and asphalt, essential for the state’s $21 billion building and construction industry.
To assist planning for Victoria’s future growth, the Andrews Labor Government commissioned an expert study to examine the state’s future need for resources and to forecast where supplies are likely to come from to best meet this demand.
The report, Extractive Resources in Victoria: Demand and Supply Study 2015-2050, compares the location of current and potential future quarry sites by local government area, with their proximity to high growth corridors and centres in the state.
The report reveals 15 local government areas which are likely to be most important in efficiently supplying key growth areas across Melbourne and key regional centres. These areas include Knox, Cardinia, Mitchell, Greater Geelong and South Gippsland.
Key areas of greatest future demand are the rapidly developing local government areas of Melbourne, Hume, Casey, Wyndham and Whittlesea.
Due to the heavy weight of these raw quarry resources, transportation costs are comparatively high, as are the infrastructure costs to provide and maintain roads for large earth-moving trucks. To keep building costs down, the report identifies the importance of sourcing the raw resources as close as possible to the construction sites.
A copy of the report can be downloaded here:
Quotes attributable to Minister for Resources Wade Noonan
“With Victoria’s population expected to reach 10 million by 2051, we are doing our homework now so that we can build the future houses, schools, hospitals, roads, railways, and work places Victorians will need.”
“Through this study we now have a clear roadmap of how much raw materials are needed and where they are located to help build Victoria over the coming decades.”
Quote attributable to Member for Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny
“Barry Road Community Activity Centre here in Thomastown is a great example of how construction materials derived from extractive resources are used to build community facilities in our growing suburbs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020