Good afternoon,
Thank you to those of you who have already provided feedback on our Australian Infrastructure Audit (the Audit) released on 22 May 2015.
The Audit provides the evidence base for the development of Infrastructure Australia's Australian Infrastructure Plan (the Plan). The Plan will address the key challenges raised by the Audit and identify a range of investment and reform priorities to be implemented in the coming 15 years and beyond.
We are currently meeting with federal, state and territory and local governments, as well as industry, peak bodies and the wider community to discuss the findings of the Audit and the development of the Plan.
However, I'd like to remind you that we are encouraging submissions from all stakeholders on how to solve the issues and challenges raised by the Audit. These can be sent to AIA@infrastructure.gov.au or Infrastructure Australia, GPO Box 5417 Sydney NSW 2001, by Friday 14 August 2015.
Infrastructure Australia will use these submissions to help inform the development of the Plan. In particular, we want you to address three key areas:
- Key findings—the Audit makes 81 findings on a range of issues, and by sector. We welcome your suggested solutions to the issues raised in the findings.
- Key Challenges—the Audit highlights 10 key challenges (page 8 of the Executive Summary) that Australia will face in the near future. Again, we welcome your suggested solutions to the key challenges identified.
- Infrastructure solutions: we want to know what infrastructure solutions you see as a priority for the next 5 to 15 years and beyond.
The Audit and all Supplementary Reports are available on our website.
Thank you in advance for your contribution to the Australian Infrastructure Plan.
Briefing Sessions
Over the past few weeks, we have also provided briefings on the Audit in each capital city across Australia at events run by various stakeholder partners including Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Engineers Australia and the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
At the briefings, I have given an overview of the Audit findings followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. In most cities, I've also been pleased to be joined by local representatives to offer an update on infrastructure planning activities in their respective State or Territory.
In Melbourne we heard from Dean Yates, Special Adviser Infrastructure Entities, Department of Premier and Cabinet Victoria; in Brisbane we were joined by David Quinn, CEO of Building QLD; in Adelaide Don Hogben, General Manager Planning and Transport Policy from the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure joined us; in Sydney we had Matt Sherb Executive Director Infrastructure NSW and in Hobart we heard from Allan Garcia, CEO of Infrastructure Tasmania.
We were also pleased to have the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, The Hon Jamie Briggs MP, join us at the Canberra and Melbourne briefings.
We have also been separately engaging representatives of each State and Territory government to present more detailed findings from the Audit and get their input into the 15-year Australian Infrastructure Plan.
It has been a busy schedule, but we view the engagement with government, business, industry, peak bodies and the wider community—along with submissions—as important inputs into developing the 15-year Australian Infrastructure Plan.
Philip Davies
Chief Executive Officer