The members of the Association of Consulting Surveyors have unanimously supported becoming “Surveyors Australia” to better unite the profession.

“The vision for our Association has not changed – we still want to see thriving surveying businesses operating across the country. Our purpose continues to be to promote, represent and support surveyors and their businesses. Our Board and our Members feel that a new name will help unite the profession and give us a stronger voice in our states and territories and at a national level,” said CEO of Consulting Surveyors, Michelle Blicavs

All Surveying firms are welcome in the membership of Surveyors Australia – land surveying firms, engineering surveying firms and any organisations employing surveyors including civil engineering firms, local government and mining companies. “It is our goal to provide support for all surveyors across Australia as we continue to tackle the skills shortage,” says Craig Turner, President.

This has come about because in March 2023, the Association of Consulting Surveyors National confirmed that the shortage of surveyors will continue for the next ten years peaking in 2025 due to strong growth in residential construction and mining work, as revealed in independent economic analysis by Oxford Economics.

The report highlighted the skills shortfall in the surveying and geospatial profession will reach nearly 1,400 professionals nationally by 2024, eventually reaching over 2,000 in 2029 - which is an average of 1,500 extra surveyors and geospatial professionals required each year to meet national demands.

QLD is estimated to require over 5,000 professionals in 2029 to meet demands; however, it is predicted that there will only be 3,660 if action is not taken in the short term to increase numbers. In WA, where mining investment is set to grow robustly over the next decade, demand for surveyors is expected to reach 4,800 professionals in 2031/32, but there will be a predicted shortfall of 1,800. While in NSW the shortage in surveyors will hit almost 500 by 2032.

“The statistics continue to reinforce the situation of severe shortages across Australia,” Consulting Surveyors CEO Michelle Blicavs says.

The industry has been working hard to increase the number of surveying professionals over the last 12 years including the development of the Surveyors Academy to deliver Vocational Education directly to surveyors across the country, with the first cohort graduating on the 9th November 2023.