RLB CRANE INDEX®

Total construction work done for the 2023 calendar year was up 3.9% compared to 2022. Victoria’s non-residential sector increased by 8.6% to $17.6bn worth of work done in 2023 compared to 2022. Engineering work done increased by 11.4% to $23.6bn in 2023, up from $21.2bn in 2022.

The residential sector decreased by 4.9% compared to previous year. Most residential sub-sectors saw lower activity in 2023, with apartments down by 10.8% and new houses down slightly by 0.4%

Overall, Melbourne saw net crane increases in the civil sector (up nine), data centres (up four), mixed use (up five), residential (up 13) and retail (up one). This reflects the continued public works activity that has been fuelling the engineering sector for the past few years. Some of these projects include the Westgate Tunnel, North East Link, Level Crossing Removals, and the Metro Tunnel project, all of which are all contributing to a record number of civil cranes. The current number of 32 civil cranes is above the previous sector high of 23 cranes in Q3 2021.

A decline in net crane numbers was seen in commercial (down six), health (down four), education (down three), aged care (down one), hotel (down one) and recreation (down one).

The residential sector currently accounts for 55% of all cranes in Melbourne, while the civil sector accounts for 17%.

Seven data centre cranes commenced at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Craigieburn, the largest number of cranes on a single project in Melbourne.

In the health sector, cranes were placed on projects at:

• Frankston Hospital (Frankston)
• St Vincents Private carpark extension (East Melbourne)
• St Vincents Hospital (East Melbourne)
• Thomas Embling Hospital Expansion (Fairfield)

Across the city’s six main regions, increases in crane numbers were only seen in the east and north, increasing by five and 26 respectively. No net change was recorded in the inner or Geelong regions. All other regions saw crane numbers decrease. There was an overall net gain of 16 cranes across Melbourne.