Good afternoon,
I am pleased to send you my first newsletter as Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Australia (IA). I hope to provide you with regular CEO updates on IA's work and issues that might be of interest to you.
Australian Infrastructure Audit—seeking your feedback
As many of you would be aware, we publically released the landmark Australian Infrastructure Audit (the Audit) on 22 May 2015.
The Audit provides the evidence base for the development of Infrastructure Australia's Australian Infrastructure Plan (the Plan). This 15 year Plan will make recommendations on project investment priorities, with a reinvigorated Infrastructure Priority List, and specific areas for policy reform.
We are now consulting with federal, state and territory governments during briefings and official meetings in each capital city, as well as with business, industry and peak bodies and the wider community, to inform the Plan.
Infrastructure Australia is also seeking public feedback on how to solve the challenges raised in the Audit. In particular, we are keen to understand your project investment and policy reform priorities.
We welcome public submissions sent to Infrastructure Australia, GPO Box 5417 Sydney NSW 2001, at AIA@infrastructure.gov.au, by Friday 14 August 2015.
Infrastructure Australia will submit the Plan to the Australian Government at the end of this year.
For further information on Infrastructure Australia's consultation process, please contact us on (02) 8114 1900 or visit our website. Thank you in advance for your contribution to the Australian Infrastructure Plan.
AFR National Infrastructure Summit
Earlier this month, the Australian Financial Review held their National Infrastructure Summit in Sydney, bringing together government, industry, peak body and business leaders to discuss Australia's social and economic infrastructure needs.
Our Chairman Mark Birrell addressed the conference, calling for Australia to lift its global ranking for infrastructure by engaging with the ten key reform challenges, outlined in the Australian Infrastructure Audit Report. Mark's speech is available on our website and I encourage you to take a moment to read it.
As Mark highlights, discussions about Australia's infrastructure goals—what we are trying to achieve, what problems we seek to solve—are central to our nation's future success, so we congratulate the AFR on hosting the Summit and look forward to those discussions continuing.
Congratulations Dr Kerry Schott AO
Finally, on behalf of Infrastructure Australia, it is my pleasure to congratulate IA Board Member Dr Kerry Schott AO on her appointment to the Order of Australia, as part of the Queen's Birthdays 2015 Honours List.
The award recognises Dr Schott ‘for distinguished service to business and commerce through a range of public and private sector finance roles, to leadership in the delivery of government infrastructure projects, and to the community’.
Congratulations to Dr Schott, and thank you for your contribution to the IA Board, and the infrastructure needs of our community.
Philip Davies
Chief Executive Officer