Lee Fahey is CCF NSW President, a former CCF National Board member, and a strong advocate for the NSW civil construction industry.
“I enjoy the challenge of working with government to solve industry issues that threaten the viability and sustainability of civil contractors,” he says.
Lee looks at his presidency and the role of CCF NSW with a sense of duty.
For Lee, the position is less about personal recognition and more about helping create the conditions for a stronger, more sustainable civil construction industry.
“People often ask me what I get out of being President of CCF NSW.
“My response is, always, that I don’t think about it in terms of what I get out of it.
“What I get out of it is the satisfaction of actually contributing to something which is for the betterment of our industry,” he says.
Lee is also quick to point to the practical support CCF NSW provides its members, including IR support, education and networking events, the Women in Civil program, and industry award ceremonies.
Lee’s dedication to advocacy is shaped by how he sees CCF NSW’s role.
“CCF NSW’s role as the peak body for civil construction in New South Wales and Australia is integral to ensuring civil contractors are fairly considered.
“We are really focused on the sustainability of the industry and ensuring that local contractors are well considered in the work that’s procured and the way that it’s procured.
“That means ensuring government considers the industry as a whole, not just the outcomes it wants to achieve for particular agendas.
“CCF NSW brings that mindset to industry and government leaders to ensure they understand what it takes to deliver infrastructure, and what will be sustainable long-term for the industry and its Australian contractors,” he says.
That focus on local industry, fair competition, and long-term sustainability has shaped Lee’s key priority during his term as president.
“I think the single biggest thing that I’ve been pushing during my time has been the disaggregation of projects to allow more opportunities for local contractors to develop within the industry.
“What I’ve seen during the lead-up to my term is governments putting larger and larger contract bundles out, which are fairly and squarely aimed at multinational, overseas contractors.
“And the more that they have done that, the less opportunities there have been for local contractors to actually expand their capabilities on larger projects.
“It just starts this cycle of the tier two contractors not having enough work and going down into smaller and smaller projects, and then tier three is being shut out.
“It’s actually been very limiting for the expansion of the New South Wales and Australian civil construction industry.
“One of my biggest focuses has been advocating to government for smaller project bundles that are more accessible to local contractors.
“We also need to invest in building expertise on both the client side and contractor side, so those projects can be delivered successfully,” Lee says.
Although it was before his time as President, Lee says CCF NSW’s advocacy during the worst of the COVID lockdowns remains one of the memorable examples of what the organisation can achieve.
“There were real issues at the start of COVID – it shut everything down, including construction.
“And we spent considerable time with the government campaigning to have construction treated as a critical service and to be reinstated.
“I consider the result one of my career highlights in the CCF,” he says.