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2023-2024 has been a very successful year for the Australian Steel Institute (ASI), with one of the highest member retention rates on record at 93% and a 25% increase in fabricator members.
The year was notable for a strong ASI focus on influencing profitable growth for the entire Australian steel value chain by advocating for local steel content and quality compliance.
The inaugural ASI Steel Sustainability Awards were successfully launched in February 2024, with four main category winners from a field of 25 entries.
ASI continued to advocate for local content federally and across all states in 2023-2024 including engagement with the Victoria Government on the Local Steel Enhancement and the Queensland Renewable Energy Supply Chain Resilience and Local Content targets. In NSW the ASI made strong representations to increase the local content targets for items such as wind towers, as embodied in the Renewable Energy Plan.
Now in its second year, the Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA) scheme continues to assess and certify downstream steel suppliers including distributors, fabricators, roll formers and reinforcing processors, and verifies upstream steel producers against best practice environmental, social and governance indicators. More than 80 sites are now registered with the scheme, contributing to the significant jump in fabricator members.
The Steelwork Compliance Australia (SCA) scheme had a great year, with 152 steelwork fabricators now audited and certified. It is notable that the latest version of AS4100 calls up AS/NZS 5131 as a secondary reference, embedding this into regulation and that the NCC update 2022 also reflects this.
Looking ahead, the ASI will continue to advocate for local content federally and across all states so that the focus is on Australian steel and fabricated steel quality compliance is assured. Key focuses will be raising awareness of steel supply chain transparency and traceability, protecting and growing Australian steel by supporting the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council initiative to restrict the export of unprocessed scrap, and promoting steel as the preferred building material.
Read about this and more in the 2023-2024 Year in Review:
