In this edition:

• A message from our CEO, Romilly Madew AO
• Market Capacity Phase 2
• We collaborate
• Update to the Infrastructure Priority List
• Website updates

Message from our CEO

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to share this update with you, on my last day as Chief Executive of Infrastructure Australia. 

I am incredibly proud of what Infrastructure Australia has achieved over the past three and a half years and I would like to thank the Board our staff and all our stakeholders for your friendship, engagement and support through my time as CEO.  

I am honoured to have led Infrastructure Australia with all that we have accomplished, and I am excited that Adam Copp has been appointed as Acting CEO to take Infrastructure Australia even further.

As a team, we have:  

• Developed a values-based culture – driving independent, respectful and collaborative relationships across the country and globally. 
• Updated and strengthened the Infrastructure Priority List, an unfunded list of nationally significant infrastructure priorities.
• In response to stakeholder feedback, we updated the Assessment Framework, broadening the Assessment Criteria to allow for a more holistic review of a proposal’s potential benefits. 
• Released both the Australian Infrastructure Audit in 2019 and Australian Infrastructure Plan in September 2021, providing Australia’s infrastructure sector with a 15-year roadmap to drive economic growth, maintain and enhance our standard of living and improve the resilience and sustainability of our essential infrastructure.
• Launched the inaugural Infrastructure Market Capacity report - an Australian-first data product on the infrastructure market’s capacity to deliver the major project pipeline.
• Released the Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps report, broadening our impact across regional communities.
• Published our Sustainability Principles and Resilience Principles. We also partnered with Infrastructure NSW to publish A Pathway to Infrastructure Resilience.
• Completed our first Reconciliation Action Plan (Reflect RAP) which was released in May 2020, and IA’s next RAP (Innovate) has recently been approved by Reconciliation Australia. 

These achievements are only possible because of IA’s amazing team and the support and open collaboration we share with our stakeholders. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your willingness to work with us, for your diligent professionalism, and your commitment to improving infrastructure outcomes for all Australians.

While I will be moving on, the work continues.

Our team is nearing the completion of the second phase of our Market Capacity research, which is due to be released later this year. This piece of work will provide a more granular look into the very real market capacity constraints being experienced across the country, and further supports the industry change plan proposed through our Delivering Outcomes research, released earlier this year. 

I'd like to thank our Chief of Policy and Research, Peter Colacino for his commitment to Infrastructure Australia as he leaves to take up a role with Avista Strategy. His leadership on IA’s significant body of work has been both impressive and ground breaking. This includes the 2015 Australian Infrastructure Audit, Northern Australia Audit, 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, Infrastructure Market Capacity, Delivering Outcomes, Regional Strengths and Gaps and numerous policy papers have made an immeasurable impact on the sector. Peter has been a key player in driving collaboration with stakeholders across Australia and abroad and I'm very grateful for his expertise and passion as well as the opportunity to work with him over the past few years.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Minister Catherine King’s recent appointment of Mike Mrdak AO and Nicole Lockwood to undertake a review of Infrastructure Australia. I also acknowledge that a number of Directors will be departing from Infrastructure Australia’s Board over the next few months and would like to thank them all for their service.

It has been a privilege to lead Infrastructure Australia over the last three and a half years, and a pleasure to work with all of you. 

Best regards,

Romilly Madew AO

Chief Executive

Market Capacity Report

Market Capacity Phase 2

We are in the final stages of completing our 2022 Infrastructure Market Capacity report. 

The Infrastructure Market Capacity report responds to a request from the Council of Australian Governments in March 2020 for Infrastructure Australia to regularly report on the capacity of the market to deliver on the record investment pipeline, reflecting the record investment in the sector and the necessary demand for skills and materials to meet these levels.

The second stage of this work will build on the report released in October last year, and includes:

• An expansion of the system to include projects over $10 million
• A more detailed analysis of demand through the significant future expenditure planned for road infrastructure, including maintenance
• Consideration of opportunities to expand sectoral demand analysis through more detailed analysis of social infrastructure and expansion to non-public infrastructure sectors, such as residential and commercial building and private engineering
• The demand and supply constraints associated with the use of replacement and non-virgin materials in road projects. 
• Greater consideration of supply constraints for materials (particularly steel) alongside plant and equipment
• A view of contractor capacity constraints and a more detailed sounding of market confidence
• An analysis of public sector skills and capability
• The expansion of the CSIRO Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT) to model supply chain networks for aggregate materials.

The inaugural Market Capacity report released in October 2021 can be found here: 2021 Infrastructure Market Capacity report | Infrastructure Australia

We look forward to sharing these results once they are finalised.

We collaborate

Engaging with Infrastructure Australia

Infrastructure Australia is proud to collaborate with a number of Australian and international 'I-bodies' throughout the year, sharing insights and perspectives on the infrastructure challenges and opportunities we collectively face. 

Cross Jurisdictional Meeting

Infrastructure Australia hosts a monthly Cross Jurisdictional Meeting with representatives from infrastructure agencies and i-bodies across Australia and New Zealand, as well as Transport, Treasury, Prime Minister & Cabinet/Premier’s Departments. Representatives from infrastructure-aligned government organisations across Australia and New Zealand are welcome to attend.

The group, established by Infrastructure NSW in early 2020, has evolved from a primary focus on COVID related issues to a more collaborative, knowledge sharing platform regarding current issues facing the infrastructure sector.

If you are a government official who would like to attend or brief the Cross Jurisdictional Meeting in 2022, contact Robert Ephraums, Associate Director – Communications & Engagement robert.ephraums@infrastructureaustralia.gov.au.

i-bodies network

In addition to the monthly Cross Jurisdictional Meetings, Infrastructure Australia also facilitates regular meetings of the Australian and New Zealand i-bodies Chairs and CEOs, called the i-bodies network. 

This network considers the ways in which our local i-bodies can collaborate and share information to ensure each organisation is well equipped to deliver on its mandate.

International i-bodies forum

Infrastructure Australia also participates in the international i-bodies forum, arranged by the Global Infrastructure Hub.

This forum invites organisations including the UK's Infrastructure and Projects Authority and National Infrastructure Commission, National Infrastructure Commission for Wales, Scottish Futures Trust, Infrastructure Canada, Infrastructure Ontario and Australia and New Zealand's domestic i-bodies to share international learnings and perspectives. 

Infrastructure Priority List

Infrastructure Priority List 2022 update

Last month, we released the latest update to the Infrastructure Priority List  which presents the key investment opportunities for Australia's cities and regions that should be further developed over the next 15 years.

The June 2022 update publishes proposals at various stages of development that are not yet fully funded, including:

• 25 new Early-stage proposals (Stage 1)
• 3 new Potential investment options (Stage 2)
• 2 new Investment-ready proposals (Stage 3)

This update to the Priority List highlights a need for greater focus on delivering resilient road and rail connections in regional Australia, enhancing the efficiency and connectivity of our transport networks and promoting development in northern Australia.

The Priority List has been developed in collaboration with state and territory governments, industry and the community and draws on our independent research, including the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan and 2021 Infrastructure Market Capacity report.

The June 2022 additions to the Infrastructure Priority List, as well as all the existing proposals, can be viewed here. 

Further information on how Infrastructure Australia assesses proposals and develops the Infrastructure Priority List is available here.

New website updates

Improving our online engagement

Based on feedback, we have updated our website homepage to focus on our core reports and products. This work is in addition to the significant enhancements to the online Infrastructure Priority List, launched earlier this year.

The refreshed website proudly includes an Acknowledgement to Country on each page, featuring our Reconciliation Action Plan artwork Moving Along Pathways by Sydney based artist Dennis Golding, a descendant of the Kamilaroi / Gamillaraay people from the north west of NSW.

Other content and reports can still be accessed through the website menu.