Engineering industry association, Consult Australia, has called for the establishment of an Innovation Precinct for engineering and related professional services.
Consult Australia's chief executive officer, Megan Motto, said the built environment consulting industry plays a critical role in the Australian economy.
The industry has 240,000 employees and its forecast revenue for the 2014/15 financial year is $40.5 billion.
Motto was responding to the federal government's plans to establish industry precincts in the next 12 months.
"It is critical that the Government includes engineering and related industries in those innovation precincts to be announced in the year ahead,”she said.
"This would mark a welcome and necessary step towards giving due recognition to the vital role the industry plays in Australian innovation, productivity and competitiveness.”
