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Cranes are essential to almost every aspect of modern life, it is an industry that keeps Australia building, moving and growing, yet is often overlooked.

Cranes are a direct indicator of national construction strength.

The RLB Crane Index, a long-running industry benchmark, consistently shows that Australia has maintained very high crane deployment levels. The Rider Levitt Bucknall (RLB) Crane Index counts both fixed tower cranes and long-term mobile or crawler cranes deployed across civil, commercial, and residential projects, reflecting fixed cranes on major sites in key cities.

While the RLB Crane Index offers valuable insight into the building construction sector, it does not capture the full picture of Australia’s crane industry. Mobile cranes, crawler cranes, all terrain cranes, rough terrain cranes and other lifting equipment that support mining, energy, ports, manufacturing and regional infrastructure projects are not included in the count.

Enabling Australia’s infrastructure and civil projects

Cranes are the backbone of major civil and infrastructure works that underpin economic productivity:

The RLB Crane Index explicitly notes that the rise in non-residential cranes is driven by “large amounts of civil and infrastructure projects”.

Without cranes, complex lifts for bridges, tunnels, power stations, and transport networks would be impractical or far more costly, slowing delivery of projects that improve connectivity, energy security, and logistics.

These projects directly support:

GDP Growth

through construction spend and associated services.

Employment

across construction, engineering, transport, and supply chains.

Regional Development

where major infrastructure unlocks new economic activity.

Lifting more than you realise

Mining and Resources

Loading, maintenance, and assembly of heavy equipment in metalliferous, coal, and gas operations.

Energy and Renewables

Lifting turbines, generators, transformers, and large sections of cooling systems. Cranes install and maintain wind turbine blades, nacelles, and tower sections, and handle large solar plant components.

Ports and Logistics

Handling heavy machinery and infrastructure upgrades that keep Australia’s trade corridors efficient.

Defence and National Security

Supporting the Australian Defence Force in constructing facilities, moving heavy equipment, and clearing or repairing infrastructure during operations and disaster relief overseas.

Disaster Recovery and Emergency Response

In floods, storms, earthquakes, and road accidents, cranes quickly clear debris, remove collapsed structures, and help deliver supplies to cut‑off areas and set up temporary shelters, bridges, and communications towers, speeding community recovery.

Maintenance of Critical Facilities

Maintaining power plants, ports, railways, and industrial sites by lifting and replacing heavy machinery, transformers, and structural components safely and with minimal downtime.

Economic scale and growth of the crane industry itself

The crane industry is not just a support function; it is a substantial economic sector and Government initiatives promoting infrastructure development, technological advancements, and demand from mining, energy, and construction sectors are key drivers.

Productivity, reform and future lifting power

The Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) is actively working to ensure it can support our members to lift Australia safely and efficiently.

CICA has called for reform, a reduction of red tape, delays, and duplicated compliance because these are productivity issues for the entire infrastructure pipeline.

CICA Supports the National Automated Access System (NAAS) as key to harmonising route approvals across states, speeding mobilisation and improving project delivery timelines.

CICA argues that mobile cranes are often misclassified under current heavy vehicle categories. This has knock-on effects in international import compliance, local road access, and regulatory duplication.