Master Builders Australia

Master Builders is Australia's oldest employer association, with around 32,000 members nationally. It is a federation that traces back to the founding of the NSW body in Sydney in 1873.

How they got started

The first Master Builders Association was founded in Sydney in 1873, making Master Builders the oldest employer association in Australia. State bodies followed in Newcastle (1874), Victoria (1875), Queensland (1882) and South Australia (1884). Eleven years before Federation, those four state associations met in 1890 to establish Master Builders Australia as the national voice of the industry. Tasmania joined in 1891, Western Australia in 1898, the ACT in 1925, and the Northern Territory in 1950, completing today's federation.

What they stand for

Master Builders positions itself as the preeminent national advocate for building and construction, with a stated commitment to ensuring a profitable and sustainable industry now and into the future. Membership is presented as a stamp of quality, a demonstration that a builder values high standards of skill, integrity and responsibility to clients. Core policy themes include housing supply and affordability, productivity, industrial relations, skills and apprenticeships, and safer worksites.

How they help the industry

• Advocacy and policy: submissions and representation on housing, tax, IR, planning and construction regulation, led nationally by CEO Denita Wawn
• Contracts: the ABIC suite and DECON contracts, delivered digitally via a partnership with Paid Inc
• Apprenticeships and training: state bodies operating as RTOs (MBA NSW is RTO 6163; Master Builders ACT is both an RTO and a Group Training Organisation)
• Industry data: building and construction forecasts updated every six months, plus member-only research
• Member services: IR advice, WHS support, insurance services including Home Owners Warranty in some jurisdictions, and legal and business advisory help

Notable initiatives

The Master Builders National Excellence in Building & Construction Awards is the national awards program built on state-level Excellence in Building awards. The federation supports apprenticeship pathways covering roughly half of all Australian trade apprenticeships through state RTOs and group training arms. Master Builders ACT delivers the nationally accredited 10852NAT Course in Working Safely with Asbestos Containing Materials, mandated under the ACT WHS Regulation 2011, and most state bodies (SA, Queensland, Tasmania, ACT and others) now deliver Crystalline Silica Safety & Compliance Training in response to state-mandated silica training requirements.

Why it matters for asbestos professionals

Master Builders members are the trades most likely to encounter asbestos-containing materials in the field, particularly in renovations, demolitions and maintenance of pre-2003 Australian buildings. The federation's RTOs deliver the entry-level "Working Safely with Asbestos" training that many builders rely on, and MBA state bodies are a natural referral channel and training partner for asbestos assessors, removalists and hygienists.