As my time as Chief Executive of Infrastructure Australia comes to an end, I am proud to share with you our organisation's latest release, the Infrastructure Decision-making Principles.

Published today, these guidelines set a new benchmark for project transparency and accountability in infrastructure decision-making across the country.

In the 2016 Australian Infrastructure Plan, we highlighted the need for a set of principles to ensure major public infrastructure investments deliver the best outcomes for the community and the best value for taxpayers.

While the Infrastructure Priority List has helped create a credible pipeline of future infrastructure investments, too often we are still seeing instances of projects being committed to before the appropriate planning and assessment has been done.

We want to ensure that community needs are properly understood and all options are considered to solve an identified infrastructure problem, before we jump to a particular solution.

Our hope is that the Infrastructure Decision-making Principles act as a guide for Australia's governments, while also providing the broader community with a clear set of expectations with which to hold decision makers to account.

I am grateful for the opportunity to present these new guidelines as I finish up as Chief Executive, and to establish clear standards—for government and the community—of what should be expected from infrastructure delivery in this country.

An organisation driving change

It has been my great privilege to lead Infrastructure Australia over the past three years, and I am incredibly proud of the impact we have had through the Australian Infrastructure Audit, the Australian Infrastructure Plan and the Infrastructure Priority List.

I am also proud of the important role our Reform Series has played in driving informed debate around opportunities like value capture, public transport franchising, corridor protection, urban water, future cities planning and infrastructure reform incentives.

We have made great strides in improving infrastructure decision-making and delivery across Australia, and I would like to acknowledge the support I have enjoyed from governments, industry, the broader community and my whole team at Infrastructure Australia.

Infrastructure Australia going forward

I wish Infrastructure Australia ongoing success as it enters its next phase of delivery as the nation's independent infrastructure advisor.

Infrastructure Australia is currently seeking submissions for the next update to the Infrastructure Priority List, which will be published in February 2019.

More information on how government, industry and the community can contribute to that process by identifying infrastructure problems and opportunities of national significance can be found on our website.

In addition, work has begun on the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit. This will form the evidence base for the Priority List and the next Australian Infrastructure Plan, which is due to be delivered in 2021.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Philip Davies
Chief Executive, Infrastructure Australia