Home Events Rethinking Failure in Construction and Building Resilient Firms
Rethinking Failure in Construction and Building Resilient Firms
8 December @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm AEDT
$38.00 - $50.00
Why does the Australian construction industry continue to experience disproportionately high levels of business insolvency, and what can be done to change this?
Drawing on Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) data from 2009–2025, our presenters, Sam and Leslie, will examine the underlying causes of construction firm failure and explore why traditional approaches to managing risk are no longer sufficient. Sam and Leslie will consider how economic shocks, rising material costs, interest rate pressures, fixed-price contracts and a persistent low-margin bidding culture combine to expose structural vulnerabilities across the industry.
Importantly, the discussion will move beyond identifying the causes of failure to explore practical pathways towards greater business resilience. These include stronger industry standards, payment trust frameworks, collaborative contracting models, and the reintroduction of rise-and-fall clauses.
CPD: 1 point
Disclaimer: The information presented in this webinar is accurate to the best of the speaker’s knowledge at the time of recording. AIQS does not independently verify the content and accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or changes that may occur after publication. Viewers are encouraged to exercise their own judgement and seek professional advice where appropriate.
Our speakers
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- Sam Neave
- Biography
Sam believes that the construction sector is a challenging, yet meaningful, ecosystem for tangible professional contributions. This belief shapes how he approaches his work as a PhD Candidate and Quantity Surveyor.
For the past year and a half, Sam's research has focused on payment practice reform to address the insolvency crisis facing our industry. This is a topic Sam is passionate about given his professional experience working for contractors and quantity surveying firms. Sam's aim with this webinar is to contribute pragmatic advice, grounded in research and practice, to the AIQS membership and the wider construction sector.
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- Leslie Chung
- Biography
Leslie Chung is an expert in construction financial risk, with over 17 years' of executive experience across transport, energy, aviation and social infrastructure.
He has transacted on various landmark commissions including the $13 Billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel Rail PPP, RPV - Geelong Line Upgrade Rail Project, The University of Melbourne Estate and Antarctic Division Aerodromes; delivering HVHR public sector comparators and predictive financial risk advice.
As a staff member at The University of Melbourne and Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, Leslie is a Lecturer in Corporate Construction Management. Through the Business Case methodology, his expertise examines how the WACCs, liquidity, current and quick ratios affect insolvencies to drive firm resilience.
