In Australia, women represent a very low proportion of the total construction industry, which means the sector is missing out on the capacity and talents of nearly half of our population.

New Bayswater Station Project Manager Lisa Booth said she was drawn to a career in construction after meeting a project manager who was building a wind farm in the Central Wheatbelt.

“I had a mathematics degree originally but when he explained what his job entailed I was hooked and immediately enrolled for a Masters in project management,” she said.

Lisa said there were many opportunities for women on major projects and the new Bayswater Station was one of the most gender diverse construction projects she’d worked on in her career.  

“People generally associate jobs in the construction industry with handling shovels or driving plant, but don’t consider the many peripheral positions that are critical in keeping projects running.” 

“I love working on the New Bayswater Station project. It’s a very inclusive environment, where women are respected, offered equal opportunity and have a voice in decision making."

Around 24 per cent of the Bayswater Station project team are women, who are excelling in roles such as project management, design, health and safety, community and stakeholder engagement, sustainability and more. 

On this project, diversity goes all the way to the top, with women representing one third of the project management team.