Jerry Howard arrived in Australia more than 50 years ago. He is still very passionate about the construction profession. “We arrived in Australia in 1972; I was 21, my wife was 18, and we knew nobody,” he recalls. It was the start of a journey that would see him become one of Canberra’s most respected and quietly influential figures in the construction industry.
Jerry hails from a family of Irish builders. “My grandfather and great grandfather were masons, and my uncles were bricklayers. I qualified in Ireland through the City and Guilds system before arriving in Brisbane with my building qualifications.” His first years in Australia were spent working on major projects in Queensland. “I worked on the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Queensland Cultural Centre, the Police Headquarters and Police Academy, and the Treasury Building.”
In the early 1980s, Jerry moved to Canberra. “I was offered a position in the ACT as a building surveyor with the Department of Territories. I then transitioned into building regulation and the licencing of builders.” With the adoption of self-government, Jerry became the Senior Builders Licencing Officer and Deputy Building Controller, a role that shaped standards across the ACT. “We were responsible for who could be licensed, what qualifications were required, and ensuring standards were upheld.”
Jerry’s involvement with Master Builders ACT was another defining chapter. “We were the first in Australia to undertake school-based apprenticeships. We started with 14 students, many of whom arenow successful builders.” He also oversaw the actual building and establishment of the MBA’s Training Centre, which has provided skills pathways for thousands of young people. “Training has always been the core objective. We wanted to make sure young people had opportunities in construction.”
Jerry regards the creation of the Master Builders Fidelity Fund, established in 2002 in the aftermath of the HIH home warranty insurance collapse, as a highlight of his time with the organisation. With the cooperation of the Building Controller, speculative builders were allowed to commence construction without home warranty insurance until the MBA system was fully established. The proviso was that those builders had an insurance certificate prior to the issue of the certificate of occupancy. About 300 homes were in the balance. The MBA decided to start its own insurance company. “The Fidelity Fund was created to give consumers confidence. If something went wrong with their builder, there was protection,” Jerry says. “During this process the MBA received incredible support from the ACT Government and the industry in general. It was an incredible achievement from drafting legislation to final approval in the space of just a few months.”
Jerry has always spoken frankly about the industry’s challenges. “Housing affordability is the biggest issue now. We need more land, more houses and more apprentices and builders to build them.” He also points to the changing relationship with unions. “The unions were very strong in the 70s and 80s. They still have a role, but the balance has shifted. Builders today face more challenges from compliance and regulation than from industrial action.”
Technology and regulation have transformed the sector in his lifetime. “When I commenced, the system was all paper based. Now it’s all digital. There’s more compliance, more scrutiny. Some of these changes are positive. Site safety is much improved which is one of the positive outcomes; however some of the negatives are added costs and additional red tape which do not achieve any additional benefits.”
Despite these challenges, Jerry remains optimistic. “There will always be construction. The key is professional training, succession and encouraging young people to seek a career in construction. We need to promote construction as a profession and career of choice.”
Looking back, Jerry is proud of what has been achieved. “If you look around Canberra now, you’ll see the apprentices and other professionals the MBA trained everywhere, managing projects and building companies, making their mark. That’s the legacy.”
