In a challenging economic climate, the independent advice Infrastructure Australia provides on opportunities for infrastructure investment and reform is more important than ever, said Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive Romilly Madew.

"Our population is growing and changing, the structure of the economy is shifting, and rapid technological change is fundamentally reshaping our day-to-day lives. All of this will have significant implications for how we plan, build and deliver infrastructure," Ms Madew told WILLIAMS MEDIA.

"A key focus of mine is to drive better infrastructure outcomes for each and every Australian, by improving collaboration and coordination with stakeholders across government, industry and the community," Ms Madew said. 

Ms Madew also told WILLIAMS MEDIA that Infrastructure Australia will continue its strong focus on improving project selection and infrastructure decision-making under her leadership, because "we know that well-developed business cases are critical to ensuring investments deliver the best results for our growing communities". 

"As we seek to drive better outcomes for the community, improving collaboration and coordination with stakeholders across government, industry and the community will be a key focus," she said.

"Infrastructure Australia has an important role to play in highlighting the long-term opportunities for investment and reform that will improve living standards and national productivity. 

"However to deliver lasting benefits for the community, we must also be a consensus-builder and ensure decision-makers are appropriately planning for the future, and our investment and reform agenda is evolving to meet the challenges ahead."

Ms Madew has announced that Infrastructure Australia is about to publish the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit, which takes a forward-looking view at the decisive trends impacting Australia’s infrastructure over the next 15 years and beyond.

"On Friday 28 June, I was proud to provide the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit 2019 to our Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Michael McCormack MP and the Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure, the Hon. Alan Tudge MP."

The 2019 Audit covers the infrastructure sectors of transport, energy, water, telecommunications and – for the first time – social infrastructure.

"We have taken a wide view of social infrastructure, and considered the challenges and opportunities facing schools and tertiary education, hospitals and aged care, social housing, justice, and emergency services, arts and culture, and green, blue and recreational infrastructure," she said. 

Additionally, Ms Madew said, "With needs of the community at its heart, the Audit will provide a clear picture of the problems we need to solve and strengthen the evidence base for infrastructure decision-making across Australia.

"The Audit calls for a new approach to infrastructure planning and delivery – one which is tied to the needs of the community it serves, and measures outcomes in terms of access, quality and cost."

After the public release of the document next month, Infrastructure Australia will be calling for submissions from governments, industry and the wider community to address the 180 challenges and opportunities identified. This could be in the form of infrastructure investment or a policy or regulatory solution, which will inform the development of the next Australian Infrastructure Plan.

The Submissions for the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List has now opened, and Infrastructure Australia is encouraging governments and industry bodies to help identify infrastructure problems and opportunities of national significance. 

"We will also be launching a new website in coming months, which will be more user-friendly for the community, as well as project proponents who are submitting business cases to Infrastructure Australia for evaluation," Ms Madew told WILLIAMS MEDIA.

Business case evaluations

Ms Madew also announced the publishing of a number of new business case evaluations including the more than $2 billion worth of planned upgrades to Queensland’s Bruce Highway and M1 Pacific Motorway; The University of Tasmania’s $300 million proposal to build new campuses in Burnie and Launceston was also added to the Priority List as a Priority Project.

"We also concluded our evaluation of the Tasmanian Government’s Derwent River Crossing proposal following a rigorous assessment process. It has not been added to the Priority List at this time, as the business case did not demonstrate that the benefits of the project would outweigh its costs.

"However, we recognise the strategic importance of crossing capacity over the River Derwent, which is why it retains its current status as a Priority Initiative on the Priority List," Ms Madew explained. 

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