This paper explores whether nationally significant infrastructure is meeting the needs of Australian industry, households and individuals, across the key sectors of:

• Energy
• Transport
• Communications
• Water

Key points

The paper highlights some enduring weaknesses in how infrastructure is provided and used — with these weaknesses having an adverse impact on Australia's economic performance and the quality of life of many Australians.

The central thesis of the paper is that public accountability for infrastructure performance will help inform decisions and identify shortcomings in how nationally significant infrastructure is provided.

An important first step is to identify what to measure, how to measure it and to regularly publish information on these performance indicators.