Join Building Respect Together Summit on 9 March 2023

On Thursday 9th March, Building Respect is hosting a Victorian Government sponsored summit bringing together a cross-section of the industry and a diverse mix of voices to advance participation of women in the construction industry.

In 2019, the Victorian Government launched the Women in Construction Strategy to increase women’s participation in trade and semi-skilled roles.

It has a four-year work program with key initiatives around attracting, recruiting and retaining more women in the workforce.

There is still important work to be done around creating greater respect in workplaces where safety, inclusiveness and wellbeing are paramount. As such, the Respect Code was launched in 2022 to build an industry where everyone thrives.​

The Victorian Women in Construction Strategy has a number of elements that are fundamental to progress in making construction a safe and inclusive industry for women.

We spoke with Randell Fuller, spokesperson and advocate for Building Respect and Women in Construction. He was given the responsibility to create the Respect Code and will be speaker at the summit about what the Respect Code means to the industry.

Having spent 35 years in the building industry working for Tier One Contractors, Government and Union movement, Randell has experienced what has and hasn’t changed in behaviour within the industry.

He is Past Chair of Women In Construction Advisory Committee and founding member of the Building Industry Consultative Council.

He mentioned one particularly challenging element is changing ingrained behaviour. Respect for others seems to be at the core of all relationships and disrespect is the impediment.

Randell said, “For many years we have defined ‘Respect’ by actually identifying disrespectful behaviour. Then we attempt to eliminate them. This includes bullying and harassment, plus more that is often subtle but impactful on the wellbeing of others.

We know what respect looks like, we know why it’s important. But, how do we make it an essential part of working life? Implementing the ‘how’ of any change initiatives is what actually determines success.“

This summit is an invitation and request for people of the industry to shape the future. It is also an attempt to bring together those people that will endeavour to bring about change. By way of example only.

There are many other aspects of course. What do these types of actions translate into for creating a respectful construction workplace?

If you can or want to change our workplaces for the better then register for the Building Respect Together Summit here.