John Holland celebrates gender parity on Hobsons Bay Main Upgrade project

More than half the workers delivering one of Melbourne’s biggest wastewater projects are women, with a construction industry leader labelling it “the way things should be done”.

AFLW player and John Holland finance officer Kirsten McLeod (centre) with engineers Monica Santos-Chaney, Maria Agudelo, Lauren Knights and Libby Paynter at the Hobsons Bay main sewer upgrade project. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A Melbourne wastewater project with a workforce of more than 50 per cent women should be an aspirational example for Australia’s infrastructure industry, amid a potentially disastrous skills shortage.

Construction giant John Holland is celebrating achieving gender parity on the Melbourne Water Hobsons Bay Main Upgrade, as it strives for 40 per cent of its total workforce to be women by 2025.

The construction sector has the “lowest levels of female workplace participation of any industry at only 12 per cent”, despite being one of Australia’s largest employers, according to a recent report from Infrastructure Australia.

The report notes that “difficulties in attracting, recruiting and retaining female employees exacerbates the industry’s growing labour shortage”. More than 100,000 roles on public infrastructure projects are expected to be unfilled in 2023.

McLeod has worked in the construction industry for 10 years. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

John Holland chief executive Joe Barr said tackling the under-representation of women in the industry would “give us a more secure workforce for the future (and) make the industry better, with proven benefits to performance and innovation”.

“Projects like the Hobsons Bay Main Upgrade show us the way things should be done,” he said. “As an industry, we need to continue to challenge the way we work and think.”

Mechanical engineer Libby Paynter, junior engineer Maria Agudelo and finance officer Kirsten McLeod are part of the trailblazing Hobsons Bay team. McLeod is one 19 AFLW players John Holland has recruited so far via its partnership with the AFLW.

McLeod with John Holland engineer Maria Agudelo. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

McLeod celebrates a goal for the Bulldogs during 2023 AFLW Round 3. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The Western Bulldogs premiership player had worked in construction for a decade before joining the company this year, and has seen the industry gradually become more diverse.

“Having different people with different voices helps drive better outcomes on projects,” McLeod said.

“I love construction. Whether you want to be on the tools of in the office, it’s made for everyone.”

Hobsons Bay main project manager Lucas Martínez is proud that his team “continues to push the boundaries when it comes to diversity, flexibility, and sustainability in construction”.

“We’ve been able to create a culture that evens the playing field and empowers everyone to be their best both on and off the job,” he said. ”It shows what’s possible for our industry.”