Operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) rose 17.5% to $303.8 million from $258.5 million, earnings before interest and tax (ebit) rose 24.2% to $225.4 million from $181.6 million, profit before tax was up 45.8% to $192.3 million from $131.9 million and reported profit was up 43.3% to $138.3 million from $96.5 million.
Mr Miller said in an interview diversification of Fulton Hogan's business was helping.
''During the year we have put in a lot of effort to ensure our internal systems and ways of doing work are robust and as efficient as possible which has generated significant cost savings.''
Those savings helped increase profits despite a dip in group revenue - down 11% to $3.24 billion and due mainly to adverse currency movements and reduced Australian construction revenues amid a tightening Federal budget.
However, several distressed projects reported in 2011-12 had been completed and contractually resolved, including the Pacific Highway Sapphire-Woolgoolga, with the highway now open.
Fulton Hogan was adopting a cautious approach to its Australian business operations despite the Tony Abbott-led Government promoting itself as the ''infrastructure government''.
''We are aware of the deficit announced recently in Australia and the forecasts for the future.''
There had also been a shift in the Australian mining sector.
Although Fulton Hogan was not exposed directly to the mining sector, some of its competitors were shifting back to roading work as the 20% reduction in mining capital expenditure started to hurt, Mr Miller said.
Mining companies were spending more money on maintenance, which had given Fulton Hogan an opportunity to successfully complete a 96km haul road project for a mining company using maintenance technology.
There were opportunities available for Fulton Hogan in Australian road maintenance.
''After all, we have $2 billion revenue in Australia in a market close to $100 billion.''
Growth in the company's water, rail and airport ventures chipped in to supplement traditional strengths in road building and maintenance.
In the water sector, Fulton Hogan secured a long-term maintenance contract for South East Water, in Victoria, completed the Midland Water Scheme, in Tasmania, and made good progress with John Holland, in New Zealand.
A significant project, Hunua 4, to renew a major water main in Central Auckland was progressing well and the infrastructure business picked up a major contract on the Central Plains water irrigation project, in Canterbury.
''We have also established ourselves as a preferred contractor in the airports sector, picking up work at many major civil airports in Australia and bidding successfully for Australian defence contracts.''
Mr Miller expected the technology developed for heavy duty pavement work at airports would extend through to the ports sector.
Fulton Hogan completed seven airport projects in Australia and two in New Zealand.
During the year, Fulton Hogan continued its buy-back of shares from Shell.
The former shareholder now had a 4% stake, down from 37.4% when the buy-back began in December 2009.
The process should be completed by the end of the year, he said.
The year's financial performance was coupled with its constant safety improvement as the group had its safest year in company history.
While pleased with the 21% year-on-year improvement in total recordable injury frequency rate to 7.5, the company believed a single injury was one too many.
''We are striving to achieve zero harm. We can never become complacent as the safety of all or our staff is not negotiable.''
Fulton Hogan employed 5400 people.
Looking ahead, Mr Miller was optimistic the company would continue to extend itself and find the opportunities, despite the Australian climate and a future order book slightly down on the same time last year at $2.6 billion compared with $3.4 billion.
''We were buoyed by the New Zealand Government's commitment to fast-track 14 significant road projects.
''We continue to target this type of work as well as water, rail and irrigation opportunities where we build on the good traction gained over the past year,'' Mr Miller said.
