In this edition:
- Refreshed Infrastructure Priority List
- Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps Report launch
- Delivering Outcomes Report launch
- Business Case evaluations
- Improving Investment Decisions training program
- CBA review
- Watch our Assessment Framework webinar
- National Women in Transport Initiative
- Have your say
- Out and about
Refreshed Infrastructure Priority List
We are moving to a purely digital format for our Infrastructure Priority List. After engaging with more than 100 users from across Australia, we are pleased to share our refreshed and redesigned digital Infrastructure Priority List.
The redesign has focused on enhancing search and filter capabilities, linking related proposals and updating the way we present information - making it easier to find proposals in the key stages of development. This is the first major release, with more improvements on the way.
Explore the redesigned Infrastructure Priority List here.
The Infrastructure Priority List provides a credible pipeline of unfunded nationally significant proposals for governments at all levels to choose from. It provides evidence-based advice to help decision makers identify Australia’s spending priorities and deliver the infrastructure most needed by Australian communities.
Every proposal on the Infrastructure Priority List has recently been updated in response to proponent feedback, to recognise progress being made and better capture the next steps in taking each proposal forward. We have also removed some proposals that have moved into delivery or have now received funding for delivery.
The Priority List is developed collaboratively, including through submissions by state and territory governments, industry and the community and by our independent research, including data from the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan and 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit. The Priority List is regularly updated, with new proposals added as we positively assess them.
Maintaining the Priority List is one of our primary responsibilities as the nation’s independent infrastructure advisor. Every proposal on the Priority List is expected to contribute to national productivity or to be otherwise socially beneficial to Australians, evaluated in accordance with our Assessment Framework.
We are finalising our assessments of new submissions, with new proposals to be announced in the middle of the year.
Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps Report
Infrastructure Australia has long acknowledged the importance of regional Australia to the national economy. From our food bowls and resource regions to our tourism and service centres, each of Australia's regions are unique, and so too are their infrastructure needs.
Next week we’ll release our first ever Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps report. This inaugural research aims to provide a national view of the diverse strengths and infrastructure gaps facing Australia’s regions in order to enable the identification of priority areas for future planning and analysis.
Through regional workshops last year hosted in partnership with the Regional Development Australia network, we consulted with over 700 stakeholders to understand local perspectives on infrastructure.
As a subscriber to our updates, you'll be the first to read this landmark research which includes 49 bespoke regional snapshots. If you have other interested colleagues, please encourage them to sign up to our newsletter.
Delivering Outcomes Report
Later this month, Infrastructure Australia will publish Delivering Outcomes, an industry reform roadmap to address the long-term challenges facing Australia’s infrastructure sector, aimed at reducing the risk of insolvency, cost overruns and delays in the delivery of major projects.
Informed by extensive consultation with 55 industry leaders, this new report from Infrastructure Australia underscores the need for Australia’s governments and industry to work collaboratively to advance sector-wide reform.
As we highlighted in the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit, 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, and 2021 Infrastructure Market Capacity report, national infrastructure sector reform is critical to successfully deliver Australia’s historic infrastructure pipeline and support the national COVID-19 recovery.
Our Chief of Policy and Research, Peter Colacino foreshadows this release in his latest op-ed for Infrastructure Magazine: The key issues that will define the infrastructure sector in 2022
Join us at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia's (CEDA) upcoming infrastructure conference on 21 March to hear more from our CEO Romilly Madew and Chief of Policy and Research, Peter Colacino. Tickets are available here.
Business Case evaluations
Infrastructure Australia has completed its independent evaluation of four business cases for major infrastructure proposals. The following proposals have been added to the Infrastructure Priority List as Investment-ready (Stage 3) proposals as they are seeking investment:
The following projects are fully funded and are therefore not eligible for inclusion on the Infrastructure Priority List.
All business case evaluation summaries are available on our website.
Improving Investment Decisions training program
Infrastructure Australia is currently in the process of refreshing our training program – Improving Investment Decisions following the release of the 2021 Edition of our Assessment Framework.
We are seeking your feedback to guide the development to ensure we are creating a fit-for-purpose training program. Please fill out the Infrastructure Australia Training Development Survey to provide your input, register your interest and stay up to date as training dates are released.
Training will become available from May 2022 on our website here. Register your interest using the survey above for updates as they become available.
CBA Review
The Infrastructure Australia Act 2008 (Cth), requires that Infrastructure Australia’s approved cost–benefit analysis (CBA) methodology (which is set out in our Assessment Framework) is reviewed every two years. The review considers whether the methodology takes into account social, environmental and economic costs and benefits adequately.
The most recent review, undertaken by Frontier Economics, found that the CBA guidance within the Assessment Framework provides an adequate and fit for purpose methodology to support proponents in developing a robust CBA of infrastructure proposals.
The review found nine areas where the methodology could be strengthened. In addition, some broader opportunities were identified to provide clear guidance on emerging methodologies and strengthen the evidence base for CBA to more robustly capture a broad range of impacts.
Infrastructure Australia has a prioritised work program of new and enhanced guidance areas to build on the content in the 2021 edition of the Assessment Framework, and are planning to provide incremental updates to the refreshed 2021 Assessment Framework materials over the coming years.
Find out more on our website.
Watch our Assessment Framework webinar
In February 2022, Infrastructure Australia presented an overview of the 2021 Edition of our Assessment Framework. The webinar focused on the major changes, what they mean for future submissions and how they contribute to a more holistic assessment of potential infrastructure investments.
To view the recording of the Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework 2021 Edition Webinar click here.
National Women in Transport
Infrastructure Australia is a proud supporter of National Women in Transport, a network of senior female transport leaders that aims to increase the number of women working in transport and create a more inclusive modern transport industry, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.
The initiative is supported by the Australian Government's Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Infrastructure Australia and co-ordinated by the National Transport Commission.
“Genuinely diverse and inclusive workplaces consistently report higher people engagement, resilience, productivity and performance. By taking deliberate and meaningful steps to address the working needs of women and other underrepresented groups in the transport sector, we can unlock additional capacity to deliver the record infrastructure pipeline and support Australia’s long-term prosperity,” our CEO Romilly Madew says.
As well as the dedicated website and speakers’ bureau profiling female leaders available to speak at upcoming events, over the next year the National Women in Transport program will also publish key economic data and deliver a series of events to connect industry leaders.
To find out more visit – womenintransport.gov.au and follow National Women in Transport on LinkedIn.
Have your say
Northern Territory Infrastructure Framework
Louise McCormick and the team at the Infrastructure NT have released their draft Infrastructure Framework for comment.
The Position Paper, which includes foundations for a new Strategy, Plan, Audit and Pipeline, has been informed by the feedback provided through the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission process and previous work including the Plan for Budget Repair, as well as further strategic analysis reflective of the Territory’s current position.
To view the Position Paper and provide feedback click here.
Out and about
Find out more about recent Infrastructure Australia speaking engagements:
- Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Presidential Roundtable
- Australasian Railway Association (ARA)'s AusRAIL conference
- NSWICC Inaugural Infrastructure and Construction Forum and Awards
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Presidential Roundtable
We were invited to attend the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Presidential Roundtable to discuss the question: How do we improve the deliverability of infrastructure - both effectiveness and efficiency?
To answer this question we presented on the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, our recommendations supporting industry productivity and innovation and forthcoming Delivering Outcomes roadmap.
With attendees from the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong and the Middle East this was a unique opportunity to listen and learn about the challenges for future infrastructure delivery.
A summary of the discussion is available here.
Australasian Railway Association (ARA)'s AusRAIL conference
Our CEO Romilly Madew attended the Australasian Railway Association (ARA)'s AusRAIL conference, joining Danny Broad and Caroline Wilkie.
Romilly's keynote considered the infrastructure challenges facing Australia, and how industry can collaborate with government to create lasting change.
Read Romilly's address on our website here.
NSWICC Inaugural Infrastructure and Construction Forum and Awards
Chief Operating Officer Adam Copp spoke at the NSWICC Inaugural Infrastructure and Construction Forum and Awards on Friday 10 December 2020 on the need to increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprises and individuals in infrastructure planning and delivery, a theme which was highlighted in Infrastructure Australia’s recent 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan.
Read Adam's address on our website here.